Like a Sister
by snapefan520
Summary: Hermione leaves the wizarding world for the muggle world, and meets a new friend who eventually leads her to Severus Snape.  Friendship, comfort, eventual SS/HG romance.  Mostly DH compliant, disregards epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N...All the characters belong to JKR, only the plot is mine. I make no money from this endeaver, it is only the enjoyment of writing that I receive._

Chapter 1

Coffee and a New Friend

"Would you like some more coffee?"

"Oh, um...sure, thanks.", Hermione replied softly to the waitress, never looking up. She was somewhat distracted by the mess of papers in front of her.

She had thought that the muggle coffee shop would be a good place to sort out the mess that was her life right now. It had been a year since the final battle, and three months since her disastrous and unsuccessful trip to Australia. She was only partially successful with removing the memory charms on her parents, and they still had holes in their memories along with confusion of their two 'lives'. Most of the time they were her parents, but occassionally they reverted back to Wendall and Monica Wilkins. Even when their thoughts were clear, there was tension in the conversations. They had never totally forgiven her for wiping their memories and whisking them off to Australia.

She and Ron had decided, mutually, that they really couldn't, and shouldn't, be anything more than good friends. They had tried dating in the aftermath of 'The Kiss' during the final battle, but realized after just a few months that they really didn't have a lot in common. He wanted to talk Quidditch, which didn't interest her. And he got lost whenever the topic of academics left her mouth. She really didn't want to marry young and be a housewife. And she really didn't want to raise a large family. That was what Ron wanted, and compromising wasn't fair to either of them. And she wanted...well, she wasn't really sure.

She knew she needed a break from the wizarding world. She could go back and sit her NEWTS, but the memories were just too much to handle right now. Starting Hogwarts at almost twenty years old would be awkward, and facing the memories from the Great Hall during the final battle was just too much. Just thinking about Fred, Tonks, Remus and all the others made her eyes tear up. And a job right now without her NEWTS wasn't a possibility...a good job, that is. The muggle world was definitely a better choice right now.

With that thought, she again focused on the mess of papers in front of her. An application to a muggle university, and various papers with course descriptions. She had already figured out how to magically change her Hogwarts OWLS into corresponding muggle levels, and Professor McGonnagal had alrady agreed to write a refernce letter about her 'special boarding school' education. She had figured it all out despite the protests from Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Now she had to just decide on classes.

"What are you going to study at uni?"

Hermione jumped when the waitress had asked her, not even realising she had approached the table. She looked back up to the woman that was standing beside her. She was tall, thin, with dark brown hair and eyes, and probably just a few years older than herself. She vaguely looked familiar, but she couldn't place how she might know her.

Hermione thought for just a moment whether to discuss this with a stranger before replying.

"I'm not really sure...maybe something in...uh... mathematics or chemistry." She had almost said arithmancy or potions before she realised, again, that she was in a muggle shop.

"I didn't mean to be so bold. But I attend the same uni, and didn't know if you might be interested in some information about the classes", replied the smiling waitress.

"I go on break in five minutes if you would like to talk. Oh, and my name is Jessica, by the way".

"That would be nice...Jessica", Hermione replied with a small smile.

She could really use a friend in the muggle world, especially since she found herself with no one to talk with who would understand her need to attend muggle university.

After talking during Jessica's break, Hermione had decided to take some lower level math classes. Math had always been somewhat of an easy subject for her, and it seemed to be a good way to ease into university life. It didn't hurt that Jessica was also taking one of these classes, so she would know someone at school. She could get to know her better, and maybe find out how she seemed familiar. But now she had a new friend, and that was a very good thing.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N...I know the chapters are short, but I tend to break at the natural end of the story flow. So some chapters may be quite short and others may be long._

_Again, everything belongs to JKR...I make no money from this._

Chapter 2

Classes and Surprises

The rest of the summer seemed to pass by quickly, and before Hermione realised it, it was autumn and time for school to start.

She had spent the summer trying to convince Harry, Ron, and Ginny that being in the muggle world was a good thing, but not succeeding at all. She thought Harry would understand, growing up in the muggle world like herself...but that wasn't the case. Life with the Dursleys had convinced him that there wasn't anything in the muggle world he ever wanted to go back to. And Ron and Ginny just didnt understand anything having to do with the muggle world, despite Arthur's interest in all things muggle. What little time they all spent together was spent mostly arguing about muggle university's merits, and Hermione was losing the battle.

She gradually reduced the amount of visits to the burrow, since they usually ended in arguments. Although she loved her friends, they had less and less in common now that Hermione was distancing herself from the wizarding world. Even her once a week visits to Professor McGonagall had now dwindled down to just once a month.

She had planned to spend more time with her parents over the summer, trying to mend the strained relationship that they now had. But her parents had decided to travel and go on holiday for most of the summer, so she had only seen them once. The once open relationship she had with them wasn't much different than that of acquaintances now. The only good conversation that they had was the discussion about Hermione starting university in a few weeks.

She met Jessica at the coffee shop only twice over the summer, and was able to get to know her a little better. She was four years older than Hermione, but only taking a couple of uni classes at a time since she was totally paying her own way. She lived with her mom, and her dad had died when she was just a baby. Her dad had been married before and she had an older brother that she had never met. Hermione would have liked to meet her again before school started, but she had failed to ask her last name or address both times that they had met.

Hermione had spoken very little about her own life to Jessica. She wasn't allowed to mention anything about being a witch to a muggle, and that encompassed much of her life. So she talked about her parents, where she lived, and her best friends Harry and Ron. She shared that she was living on her own and that her relationship with her parents was strained.

She felt like she was truly making a good friendship with Jessica, and that they had similar interests and goals in life. They both acceled in classes, and were both bookworms. Neither had a boyfriend at the moment, and both planned on taking their studies seriously.

-ooOOoo-

It was now the first day of classes, and Hermione was very excited to begin her new life as a university student. Her first class was a basic statistics class, but she was excited for her second class, an algebra review class, that she would have with Jessica. She hadn't seen Jessica in almost a month, and she couldn't wait for class to start.

Statistics had been pretty easy, and Hermione was pretty sure she'd have no trouble passing it. The professor was a nice older woman who reminded her quite a bit of Professor McGonagall, minus the Scottish accent. And the course work listed on the syllabus seemed straightforward. She continued to think about the ease of this class on the way to her algebra class.

She arrived a few minutes early, so she decided to look at her algebra text until Jessica arrived. Jessica barely arrived on time, out of breath, before the professor arrived. So they would have to wait to talk until after class.

Professor Thompson seemed nice enough, and he was a professor that wanted to know the names of all those in his class. So unlike her previous class, he insisted on calling roll to learn the names of all the students. Hermione was barely paying attention to say 'Present' when her name was called, and it helped that Jessica had kicked her slightly with her shoe to alert her.

She was still getting her pencils and paper together when she froze as Jessica's name was called out near the end. No...that can't be right, she must have misheard the name. Now she had to talk to Jessica after class.

She couldn't concentrate the rest of class. It just couldn't be a coincidence, could it? She really never thought she'd think about that name ever again. But at the same time, she thought again about the professor calling out "Jessica Snape".


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N...Not much is written in HP about Professor Snape's family. So I have taken liberties with canon from this point on about his family._

_Again...not mine, I make nothing._

Chapter 3

Conversations and Deep Thoughts

"Er...Jessica, can I talk to for a minute?" Hermione really didn't know what she was going to say, but she just had to talk to her.

"I would love to, but I only have ten minutes to drive back to the shop for my shift. Can we talk after work? I get off at eight, and we can have coffee or tea."

Hermione didn't know how she was going to make it the next seven hours. She was reeling from all the thoughts that were going through her head. Could she be Professor Snape's sister? Although it didn't seem too likely, how common was the name Snape. Maybe they were distantly related. But...she said she had an older brother she never met. But could she have a brother that was fifteen years older? The questions just continued to enter her head, and she literally had a headache just thinking about it.

First things first, she was going to write out questions to ask her. What was Jessica's father's name? That right there should eliminate any further questions. If she didn't answer Tobias, then she knew that she didn't need to ask more questions about her possibly being Professor Snape's sister. Maybe they are only distantly related, if at all. Maybe Snape was a more common name than she thought, even though she had never heard of it before she had Professor Snape as a teacher.

But that brought up even more questions about her dark and mysterious former Potions professor. She knew that he had barely survived his attack by Nagini, thanks to Fawke's tears and Lucius Malfoy taking him in to recover. Then he just disappeared. He never appeared at the Ministry service to commemorate the war heros and the fallen, and he never went back to Hogwarts. It, in some ways, was like he died in the Shrieking Shack...he never was seen, ever. Harry had sent numerous owls, but never received even a first reply. And Professor McGonagall had told her previously that he had never contacted her as well.

Well, she figured she might as well start on the homework for the two classes to try and pass the time. That was, if she could get her mind off of Jessica and Professor Snape.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione arrived at the coffee shop almost ten minutes early, and she used that time to watch Jessica as she waited on customers. Her build was thin and willowly...like Professor Snape. She had dark brown, almost black eyes...like Professor Snape. But that was really the only similarities that she noticed. Her hair was brown, not black, and her skin was a little pale, but no paler than her own. Hermione began to talk herself out of the silly notion that Jessica could be Professor Snape's sister. In fact, she had just about convinced herself of it.

"Hi Hermione! Did you want to talk about class today? I think I am really going to enjoy Professor Thompson's class. He seemed to really know the subject, and I think it will be easy to do well in it." She was beaming, and Professor Snape never smiled. Definitely no relation...nope, couldn't be at all.

"Um...Jessica. I wanted to talk about something other than class. Is that okay? I wanted to ask you more about your family, if that is alright with you". Hermione wasn't sure how to even begin, but this was a start.

"Sure. What do you want to know?", Jessica replied with a more serious expression.

"Well...I went to school with a Snape, and...uh...I just wanted to know more about your dad and brother" Hermione said it so fast, she was sure that Jessica would want to know why she was so curious and nervous.

"You wouldn't have gone to school with my brother...he is much older than me. In fact, I really don't know much about him other than he is more than ten years older than me, and my father didn't have a good relationship with him or his mother. As embarrassing as this sounds, I don't even know his name. Mum said he refused to talk about them...something about his ex-wife being dishonest and he didn't want to ever talk about it."

She sighed and continued, "And I don't know much about my dad other than his name. He was a drunk, a mean drunk at that, and he was much older than my mum. She told me she would have divorced him if he hadn't died of liver failure when I was about one. Oh...she called him Toby, but I think it was short for Tobias."

Hermione froze. Toby...Tobias. Tobias Snape. That was Professor Snape's dad's name according to Harry, and Professor Snape's middle name is Tobias. How many Toby/Tobias Snapes could there be? Especially with a son about the same age as Professor Snape.

She knew she must have had a strange expression on her face, especially since Jessica was returning the questioning look.

"Uh...Hermione? I know we don't know each other that well, but I do consider us friends. And I think you aren't telling me something. If you know something, could you please share it with me? You are beginning to worry me with that look you have on your face right now." Jessica seemed very serious all of a sudden.

Hermione took a deep breath, not knowing what she would be able to tell Jessica. The truth, or as much as she was allowed to tell.

"Okay. Well, I implied that I was in class with a Snape. I wasn't...I actually had a Professor Snape as a teacher at my boarding school. He was a very good teacher, but very strict, and I really admired him. I just wondered if you could be related to him. I didn't think that Snape was a very common name, and it really got me curious."

Jessica was silent for a minute, then replied, "Well, I guess it isn't really common. I've never met another Snape. I was told that my dad was an only child, and my grandparents died many years before I was born. Does this Professor that you had...does he look like me? Do you think he might be my brother?"

Hermione didn't know what to say. She really couldn't discuss much about Professor Snape since he is a wizard, but maybe she could tell her just enough. But what if she wanted to meet him? That would be a situation that she would not be able to deal with. And did he even know that he might have a sister?

"Well...no, you really don't look much like him. You are tall and thin like him, and your eye color is similar, but that is about all. He is really pale and has black hair. And he...uh...has a very distinct nose. Nothing like yours." Hermione wanted to say he had a nose like a hawk's beak, but then decided that might not go over very well.

"Well, my mom says I have my dad's eyes and build, but that was about all. I've seen a couple of pictures of my dad, and he had a rather large hooked nose. It does sound like we could be brother and sister. I don't want to get my hopes up, because I have always wondered about my brother, but could you possible introduce me to him? Maybe I can find out whether he is my brother." She had said this hopefully, with a small smile on her face.

Hermione was at a loss. How do you tell a friend that her possible brother dissappeared, was a recluse, and in all likelihood didn't want to meet her.

"Well. I don't know how to contact him anymore" _not that I ever could, anyway _"and he is no longer teaching at the boarding school. Maybe I could help you do some research, though, and we could find his address. Or maybe some info on your dad to see if he is your brother." Hermione was hopeful that this would be enough information for now.

Hermione was in her bed that night, thinking about the day's events. How could her life be any more interesting at the moment. She had made a new friend, who just might be Professor Snape's sister.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer...All belongs to JKR, I make nothing._

Chapter 4

Dead Ends

It was now the second week of classes, and Hermione was finally starting to get into a routine. She would attend her classes, sit with Jessica during algebra, and then go home to do homework and revise. Once or twice a week she would meet Jessica at the coffee shop and have coffee or tea, and once a week they would meet at Hermione's flat to revise and socialize.

Despite her exhaustive search of the public records, she couldn't find any listing of an address for Professor Snape. She had found an old listing for Tobias Snape on Spinner's End, but could not see a house that matched the address. Either it had been long ago torn down, considering the run-down appearance of the other houses on the road, or it was disillusioned or secret-kept. Either way, this information didn't help Jessica.

She shared what little information that she already knew about Professor Snape. Jessica couldn't help but laugh, and then say "What kind of name is Severus?" when Hermione had told her his name. It isn't like she could say it wasn't uncommon for a wizard's name, so she just agreed that it was unusual. Hermione told her that his mother's name was Eileen, and that he was born in 1960. She really didn't know what to say about Hogwarts, and only told her that he taught chemistry at her boarding school. She really hoped that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

From the public records she could pull at the library, they were both pretty sure that Professor Snape was her brother. There was only one Tobias Snape in the records, and he was born in the 1930's. There was a marriage record of his marriage to Eileen Prince in 1958, and a birth announcement for Severus Tobias Snape in 1960, but no divorce record. Both Hermione and Jessica had wondered whether his marriage to Jessica's mom was even legal after that. But then they found the marriage record to Jessica's mom, Sarah, in 1972, and Jessica's birth announcement in 1975.

They continued to look for more information over the next few weeks, but couldn't find any new information. Jessica had invited Hermione to her mother's flat to revise for an upcoming exam, and had told Hermione that it was okay to ask her mum a few questions at that time.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione had noticed, upon entering Jessica's home, that the only pictures in the house were of Jessica and her mom. Not a single picture of her with her dad. She thought it was unusal, and thought about asking Jessica about it later.

Jessica's mom was in the kitchen making dinner, and Hermione stopped revising to watch her while she prepared dinner. She looked like a shorter, slightly heavier version of Jessica. And her eyes were a hazel brown instead of a brownish-black. So Jessica was right that she looked like her mum and not her dad.

"Mrs. Snape?", Hermione asked timidly. She had never asked Jessica how to address her mum, and hoped she wasn't going to offend her.

"Oh, it is Ms. Harris. I haven't used my married name in more than twenty years. But you can call me Sarah! Jessica has told me so much about you", she said sweetly with a soft smile on her face.

"Jessica said you might have some questions about her dad and brother, and that I might be able to help you answer them."

Hermione gulped, "Um...yeah". She then proceeded to ask her what she knew about Toby's first wife and his son, and what all she new about his prior life.

"Well...Toby was much older than me. Almost 20 years, and I am ashamed to say we met at a bar. If I had known then that he never was sober...well, I digress. Anyway, I found out that he had been previously married, and that his wife was dishonest about her past to him, and he wasn't very trusting with women. I had to do a lot of convincing to assure him I wasn't being dishonest about anything in my life. And he never spoke anything about his son, not even his name. I think that maybe he disowned him or something. I only new that his ex-wife's name was Eileen, and that was because he mumbled her name in a nightmare one time." She had spoken all of this rather casually, like she had been asked before. Probably by Jessica.

"He seemed nice enough when we had dated, but he totally changed once we were married. He became borderline abusive after just a few pints at the pub. Mainly verbally abusive, and once physically, when he was drunk. Unfortunately he was drunk most of the time. I was going to divorce him to avoid exposing Jessica to his behavior. But he died of liver failure when she was barely a year old. We've been on our own ever since then."

Hermione thought for a moment, remembering Harry describe the fighting between Professor Snape's parents that he saw in the pensieve. He had told her that he seemed to have a bad home life as a child. It made sense that he had been an alcoholic even back then.

"Thanks for sharing that, Ms. Harris...er, Sarah. I guess Jessica has told you that I might have had her half-brother as a professor at my boarding school. We are just trying to find out information that might help us find his new address so she can meet him". Hermione knew she was being a little dishonest, but this was the same story she had told Jessica as well. _It's not like I really think she'll ever get to meet him._

-ooOOoo-

Dinner had gone well, and pretty soon the whole conversation about Jessica's mysterious brother had been forgotten. With no new information, they both had gotten busy with revisions for the mid-term evaluations. Thoughts of Professor Snape were forgotten for the time being.

_A/N...I should be posting updates about once a week, maybe a little more often. I have the first seven chapters written out, although they still need a bit of editing._

_The story is totally outlined, but not written out. I'm guessing it will be at least twenty chapters, but that may change a bit with each revision I complete._

_I appreciate all feedback via PM._


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer... I own nothing and make nothing._

Chapter 5

Classes and End of Term

As end of term approached, Hermione and Jessica started to meet more often for final exam revising. Their twice a week coffee and tea breaks had increased to three or four times a week, and they had broadened their discussions to talk about more personal topics like friends and boys.

Hermione had told Jessica about Ron, and that she really hadn't dated anyone since then, and Jessica had told her that she hadn't had a serious boyfriend in a few years. They both were quite similar in the fact that they put their studies before boys. Hermione had also talked about Harry and Ron, and how they hadn't even talked any this term. She explained that they both were in training to become police, knowing that was the closest she could come to describing Auror training. She also said she had lost contact due to Harry becoming engaged to their friend, and Ron's sister, Ginny. It was easy to explain that she didn't contact Ron much anymore due to the awkwardness of being previously involved.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione had let out a big sigh once exams were over, and she could feel the tension of the past few weeks start to leave her. Not that they were difficult, in her opinion, but she was still relieved to be done with them. Jessica had also been glad to be done with exams and to have some time off from school. They both had agreed to try to see each other at least a few times over the month-long break, and maybe take a shopping trip to London.

Hermione was surprised to get a Christmas invite to the Burrow this year, since she hadn't spoken to Ron or Harry since school had began. Then she realised what all had happened since then...meeting Jessica. She wondered whether to mention this to Harry or Ron when she saw them at the Burrow. That is, if she decided to go to the Burrow this year. The situation was still tense with her parents, and they hadn't even mentioned Christmas to her. Usually they went skiing over the holidays, but she didn't want to just assume that is what they would do this year.

Hermione spent the first week of break Christmas shopping for her parents, the Weasleys, Harry, and Jessica. At the last second, her parents notified her of the ski trip, but they did not include her in the plans. As much as this hurt, she wasn't surprised. She knew that they had still not forgiven her for tampering with their memories. So she decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Weasleys, and had accepted the surprise offer of spending Boxing Day with Jessica and her mom.

Hermione had finished shrinking the last of her presents to take to the burrow, and was preparing to apparate there. Her flat didn't have a fireplace, and she hated having to use a public floo to get there. She had decided to tell Harry and Ron about Jessica, and to see what they had to say. Maybe Harry would have some advice about Professor Snape, or use his contacts at the Ministry to find a way to contact him.

-ooOOoo-

"Hermione, dear, it is so wonderful to see you" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as Hermione had come through the front door. She was met by the smiling faces of Ron, Harry, and Mr. Weasley as she came in. She took a deep breath as she walked in, hoping that after the months of no contact, it would not be too awkward.

She didn't even have time to sit before Harry and Ron began to fuss over her lack of communication these past months.

"Hermione, is it that hard to at least send an owl? We don't even know what all has been going on with you the past while." Harry's tone had been serious, but he still had a slight smile on his face.

Before Hermione could answer, Ginny had come down the stairs to join Harry and Ron. Hermione's slight smile faded, and she readied herself for a long conversation.

"Um...Harry, Ron, Ginny. Could we go somewhere to talk for a little while? Somewhere a little more private?"

Ginny and Harry gave each other a look, and then they all headed up the stairs to Ron's room to talk.

"First of all, don't look at me like I'm dying. This isn't a bad conversation, but I wanted some privacy to ask you a few questions without interuptions from your family." Hermione's expression was serious despite her reassurances.

"I have a new friend I met over the summer when I was researching classes. We met at a muggle coffee shop and found out we would be going to university together. And Ginny, before you interupt me...it isn't someone I am dating or have an interest in dating. We are both studying math, and have an algebra class together. We have become pretty good friends over the past few months, and I am going to her house tomorrow to spend the day with her and her mom. But this is the weird part, so wait until I am finished talking to ask any questions. We had already started to be friends before I even knew her last name, and uh...her name is Jessica...Snape."

Three sets of eyebrows rose, and mouths gaped open. Hermione was sure that they were thinking all the questions that she had thought when she first found out Jessica's last name.

Harry was the first to speak, and it took him a few seconds to form the words coherently.

"Snape? She... is she related to Pro- Professor Snape? I didn't think he had any family."

"Harry...she is his half-sister, and she is a muggle. She didn't even know he was her brother at first. I asked her lots of questions and we did some research. Tobias Snape was her dad, and she is only a few years older than us. And before you ask, she is nothing like Professor Snape. She is very sweet and kind, and we have become good friends."

She had rendered them speechless, so she continued.

"She wanted to meet him, but since he basically disappeared after the war, we both have given up on the search. I don't know if he even knows he has a sister, or if he even cares for that matter. So for the moment she has let it drop, and we don't discuss it much anymore." Hermione decided that this was enough to tell them for now.

They all just sat there for a minute before Ron spoke up.

"Wow...Snape has a sister, and she is nice. That's such a surprise. Are you going to try to find him and tell him? I don't imagine that would be an easy conversation."

Hermione thought about it for a moment, before shrugging and saying "I just don't know Ron."

-ooOOoo-

They didn't discuss Jessica anymore that evening, and had gone downstairs to have the annual Christmas Eve dinner with the whole Weasley clan. Everyone was there, even Charlie and Bill and Fleur, despite Fleur being almost eight months pregnant.

Christmas Day seemed to rush by quickly, with the three large meals prepared by Mrs. Weasley and exchanging gifts in the afternoon. Hermione received a new handmade jumper from Mrs. Weasley, and almost every one else had given her books. She gave Harry, Ron, and Ginny all a hug before apparating back to her flat, and promised to be better about keeping in touch. Harry had promised to try and find Professor Snape's address, or at least a way to contact him, with his contacts at the Ministry.

She apparated to her parents' house on the morning of Boxing Day to drop off their gifts before apparating a few blocks away from Jessica's house.

Jessica's house was warm and inviting, and she could smell the ginger biscuits as soon as she came in. They hugged each other excitedly, and began to catch up since the end of term.

"Hermione, have you already picked your classes for next term? I was hoping that since we both were needing to have Probability and Calculus, we could try to take the same classes." I would love to be able to revise with you this coming term. Mum and I both think my grades were better when I revised with you last term."

Hermione smiled as she replied, "Oh, I would love that! And I haven't registered yet, so we should be able to get them together."

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching Christmas movies on the couch, and discussing classes they would take together the next term. Hermione was having such a nice day, she didn't realize it was already almost sunset and time to head back to her flat.

_A/N...I have nine chapters written out, but not edited. The story will start to get interesting around chapter 8, and I promise it won't be too long before our favorite professor finally makes an appearance._


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer...I own nothing, everything but the plot belongs to JKR._

Chapter 6

New Term and Illnesses

Term started with some of the coldest weather Hermione could ever remember. Classes had only started a week ago, and already they were cancelled for the foot of snow that lay on the ground and continued to fall. Although her classmates were thrilled, Hermione couldn't wait to get back to school and to her classes with Jessica.

Hermione continued to get together with Jessica at least three times a week this term. The excuse was revising and homework, but that was usually only a small part of their meetings. They would do their homework, revise for any upcoming exams, then just enjoy their time together. Sometimes it was discussions about boys or friends, but almost always it would involve their mutual interest in books and literature.

Hermione realised that she was now as close to Jessica as she had been to Ginny, and she started to feel guilty about the lack of contact with her magical friends. But she knew she had chosen, at least temporarily, the muggle world over the wizarding world. She still wasn't ready to totally immerse herself in that world just yet. And she was having a wonderful time in the muggle world with her new good friend.

-ooOOoo-

"Hermione...how did you answer question number four on the calculus exam? Was it supposed to be a derivative?", Jessica asked without looking up from her papers.

"Hermione, did you hear me?". This time she looked up to see Hermione almost asleep over her Calculus book.

"Oh, I'm sorry Jessica. I didn't hear you at first. I am so tired, and I think I wore myself out revising this time. I think I might need to go home early and go to bed. I just don't have much energy right now," Hermione replied sleepily.

But even after a good night's sleep, Hermione didn't feel better the next day. In fact, she felt worse...much worse. She had originally hoped she had just over-exerted herself revising for the exam, but she now realised she was sick. It was probably the flu that was going around at school, but the thought of missing a whole week of school was more painful than the flu, she thought.

Five days later, after spending most of the week in bed, she was finally able to go back to school. Jessica had copied notes for her so she wouldn't get behind in her studies, and her professors had given her an extra week to turn the assignments in. Life seemed to finally get back to normal and into a routine until Jessica started to get sick with the flu.

Hermione had done the same thing that Jessica had done for her...pick up her assignments and copy her notes. But unlike Hermione, Jessica still wasn't well after a week. So Hermione agreed with Jessica's mum that she should go to the doctor and make sure she didn't need an antibiotic.

It was another full week and a round of antibiotics before Jessica was able to return to classes. Her flu recovery was complicated with a mild case of pneumonia, but she was finally well enough to return to classes.

Finally with her life, and Jessica's, back to normal...Hermione was able to focus on her classes and spending time with Jessica. They had six more weeks of classes until the Easter holidays, and as much as Hermione enjoyed the classes, she was ready for a break. She was going to divide the break between spending time with her parents, at Jessica's house, and then a few days at the Burrow.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione had arrived at her parents house, excited to finally spend some time with them since they had been gone for the Christmas holidays. She was dissapointed to find a note that stated they would only be home the end of the week and they had forgotten they had a dental seminar to attend until mid-week. Hermione had told her parents that she would be at Jessica's and the Burrow from Wednesday until the end of the holidays, so she knew this was her parents way of avoiding her yet again. Hermione wiped a tear from her eye, and walked up the stairs to her childhood bedroom. Maybe she could add a couple of days to her visit at the Burrow.

Hermione re-arranged her schedule to go to Jessica's two days early, then spend the remainder of the break at the Burrow with the Weasleys. Apparating as close as she could to Jessica's, she still dreaded the cold walk to the house. It was still too cold for this time of year, and Hermione hadn't worn a heavy enough coat for the walk.

She was surprised that Ms. Harris had opened the door instead of Jessica when she knocked.

"Hermione! It is so nice to see you, but I'm afraid you will have to cut your visit with Jessica short today. She is very tired again, and we are heading back to the doctor's office in about an hour. I don't think she is contagious, so you can talk a little while. We are both just a bit worried since her energy level never came back up after the pneumonia a few weeks ago. So we are going to get some lab work done to make sure she is totally well." Ms. Harris...er, I guess she was supposed to call her Sarah, had replied quietly.

Hermione noticed she looked tired, but she hadn't seen Ms. Harris in a few weeks, so maybe she was just over-worked. She was rarely at the flat when she and Jessica revised, and Hermione knew she worked late shift most of the time.

"Jessica, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well? I could have gone straight to Ron's house and visited you at the end of the holidays. As much as I want to spend the day with you, I'd rather you actually feel up to having company." Hermione had smiled as she said this, but still was a little frustrated that Jessica didn't just tell her that she didn't feel well. They were friends, and she should feel able to tell Hermione anything.

Jessica looked a little pale, like she did the mornings after they had spent a late night revising. But she smiled as she replied to Hermione, "I really thought I'd feel better by the time you got here, and by the time Mum and I decided I needed to see the doctor, it was too late to call you. I'm sorry Hermione, I really am."

They talked about Hermione's trip to see Ron until it was time for Jessica to go to the doctor. Hermione walked briskly the two blocks to the alley where it was safe to apparate to the Burrow.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione spent the rest of the week at the Burrow, enjoying the delicious meals cooked by Mrs. Weasley, and in conversation with Ron, Harry, and Ginny. The weather still was cold, so she didn't watch any Quiditch games this time, which was perfectly fine with her.

"Hermione, I wanted to let you know that I did find out from Arthur where Professor Snape lives. He is at that house at Spinner's End. I think you had tried to find it once, but didn't see it. It is not only disillusioned, but it is secret-kept as well. I sent another owl a few weeks ago, and no, I didn't mention Jessica, just said I wanted to speak to him about something important. Like usual, he never replied." Harry shook his head grimly as he replied. It was obvious that he was as frustrated with the lack of a reply as Hermione had been.

Hermione smiled sweetly at Harry, and paused before replying, "I really didn't expect a reply, but I appreciate that you tried. Maybe he already knows about her and just doesn't care. Or maybe he just wants to forget about everything that would remind him of the war. We tried, and that is all that matters to Jessica."

That was the only conversation about Professor Snape, and the rest of the conversations at the Burrow were to keep Hermione updated with what had happened to all of her Hogwarts classmates. Hermione was excited to hear that Neville was starting an Herbology apprenticeship with Professor Sprout. She wasn't quite as excited to hear about Ron running into Lavender in Diagon Alley, and the new relationship they were starting. Not that she had any romantic feelings anymore for Ron, but she really disliked Lavender.

At the end of the week, Hermione said her goodbyes, and prepared to apparate back to her flat. She was actually excited to start classes again, and hoping that Jessica was feeling good enough to be in those classes as well.

_A/N...I have lots of alerts added, but only five reviews so far. So please let me know what you think, even if it is a criticism. Like it, tell me...needs much improvement, well...I appreciate that as well._

_I'm hoping to continue to post twice a week, until I am caught up with what I have written, which is ten chapters so far. After that it may be just once a week, but we'll see._


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer...I own nothing, it all belongs to the wonderful JKR_

Chapter 7

Devastating News

Hermione was disappointed that Jessica wasn't back in classes the first day they resumed. She had tried to call her after classes were finished, but she didn't get an answer. She left a brief message on the answering machine, hoping that she'd call soon to update. She quickly became concerned after she went to her class the next day, and Jessica still wasn't there. And again she tried to call, and again there was no one home to answer the phone.

She had a hard time making herself attend classes on the third day, but she knew that she would need to write notes for both herself and Jessica, so she made herself go. It was when she arrived home, that she noticed the flashing light on her answering machine. _Finally_, she thought, I'm going to know what is going on.

"Hello Hermione. This is Ms. Harris, and Jessica would really like to talk to you. Her labwork came back with some problems, so we are at St. Andrew's for some tests. We are in room 105, and come by when you can." The machine beeped as the message ended.

Hermione was really worried now. What kind of tests would a hospital run that would require you to stay? I guess I really need to head over there and talk to Jessica. She is so tired all the time, maybe she is anemic or something. I hope they figure this out so she can come home soon.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione was surprised to find out that room 105 was an actual hospital room...with a hospital bed and equipment. She expected her to be in a lab area or waiting room, not an actual patient room with beeping machines and sterile equipment. And she was even more surprised to find Jessica in a hospital gown, laying in the hospital bed. Her mom was sitting beside her in a very uncomfortable looking chair, but she still managed a small smile for Hermione.

"Hi Hermione! Can you believe that they made me stay just because I had some bloodwork that didn't come out totally normal? I'm waiting for the results of my second blood draw, they want to check my white cell count again. Something about it was too high the first time, and possible it was wrong or something. But in the mean time, they won't let me go home." Jessica replied while fidgeting with her hospital gown.

Although Jessica's words were reassuring, she noticed that Ms. Harris looked solemn and serious during the conversation. Hermione felt that something more was going on, and that Jessica's mom knew it, even if Jessica did not.

"So, when do you think you will be able to leave? I have the notes from Probability and Calculus, but I didn't bring them with me. If you think you'll be here a few more days, I can go home and get them. Then you'll at least have something to do while you are stuck here.". Hermione really hoped that she'd be bringing them to Jessica's house, not the hospital. But she felt she needed to ask, anyway.

"I'm hopefully leaving as soon as I get these new lab results. Maybe later today. The doctor should be in any time to tell us, and hopefully we'll get the discharge papers after that. I'm hoping another round of antibiotics will fix everything.", she sighed.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually missing class," she said, with a fake pout on her face.

"Of course you are, because I would be as well," Hermione smirked as she replied.

Conversation was halted as the three women heard a knock on the door, and a man with a lab coat, presumably the doctor, came in to speak with them.

"Hello Jessica, Ms. Harris. My name is Doctor Williams, and I am a specialist here at St. Andrew's. I wanted to talk with you about the test results."

Hermione realised that the doctor hadn't noticed her yet, so she cleared her throat before he continued.

"Oh, I didn't realise you had company. I can come back later to discuss this in private if you'd like."

Ms. Harris started to answer, "Yes, that would probably-" but didn't get to finish before Jessica started talking.

"No, it is okay. Hermione is my best friend, and I am fine with her hearing as well. I'm hoping to be out of here soon so we can go back to classes together." She stated assuredly to the doctor.

"Very well. Jessica, your initial lab work showed a very high, that is abnormally high, white cell count. Much higher than normal showing that your immune system is continuously fighting something. High counts are common during an illness, but your numbers are even higher than the normal for that. So that is why we ran the second set of labwork. Again, the numbers came back very high, even higher than the previous numbers. There were some anomolies with the shape of the cells, and the red cells were a little low, as well.

He continued, making sure the women were comprehending what he was saying.

"I would like to run more tests, and then we will see where we go from here. I'd like to do an ultrasound to check out your lymph nodes, and a CT scan. Possibly a few more tests depending on the results of those two."

Hermione looked over at Jessica and her mom, not liking where this discussion was heading. She knew what those tests were looking for, without the doctor even saying. And from looking at Jessica's expression, she knew as well.

"You think I have leukemia, don't you?", she replied quietly.

"Yes, unfortunately." replied the doctor solemnly.

_A/N...I am not a dr or nurse, but do have a bit of medical knowledge. But I am not an expert on leukemia, and everything in this chapter comes from my internet searches on leukemia symptoms and tests. If you are an expert, and I've botched this, just PM me to straighten it out._

_Rest assured that our dear Potions professor will make an appearance soon, I promise._

_And to answer several PM s I've received, I know that this is a long wait for Severus to appear, but I did try to write in my summary 'eventual SSHG romance'. I hope this slow buildup isn't too off-puting to everyone._

_I am up to Chapter 14 in writing, but not editing. If I don't make too many changes to my outline, it should be complete in 21 chapters._

_Up to 16 reviews...keep them coming! I appreciate the comments and the suggestions!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer...same as always, I make nothing from this._

Chapter 8

And the News Keeps Getting Worse

Leukemia. Cancer of the blood. Chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Bone marrow transplant.

These were the thoughts that kept Hermione awake that night. _No, it can't be_, she thought. She'll have the tests, and they'll be fine. She is just having a hard time rebounding from the flu and the pneumonia from a few months ago. _She is too young to have cancer. _

Hermione was having a difficult time making herself go to her classes. Everytime she tried to put her emotions aside, she'd glance at the empty seat beside her. She had circles under her eyes from not sleeping, and had lost weight from not being able to eat. She couldn't get Jessica out of her thoughts for even a little while.

Her morbid thoughts continued even into the next few days, and she just couldn't escape them. _I finally have a friend in this world who is so much like me, who understands me, who is like a sister to me. I can't lose her now, I just found her._

-ooOOoo-

Jessica was still in the hospital five days later, and Hermione didn't know whether to go back to visit her, or whether to wait until she was discharged and at home. She was still taking notes for her in their classes, but wasn't sure if Jessica would even be able to catch up after missing almost two weeks. And Hermione still didn't know the results of any of her lab tests. She was still trying to hold onto hope that the final tests wouldn't confirm the leukemia, and that it had to be something else.

She took a deep breath before calling St. Andrew's.

"Yes, I'd like to be connected to room 105. Miss Jessica Snape's room, if she is still in that room", she spoke to the receptionist on the phone. It was Jessica's mom that answered the room phone.

"Hello Hermione. Jessica isn't in the room right now. She has been taken to the OR for a ….for a bone marrow biopsy. I'm sure you probably know what that means.", Ms. Harris had broken down about mid-sentence.

Hermione couldn't hold back the emotion in her voice as she replied, "Do you think she'd want to see me?"

"Yes, I'm sure she would. She's been asking for you, but I didn't really have the courage to call you. I'm sorry I didn't. But please come by, it looks like we will be here for a while."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione was already in a chair, waiting, when Jessica was wheeled in by a nurse. She smiled at her, but Hermione realised it was somewhat of a forced smile.

"So...er. When do you get to go home?"

"Maybe in a few days, but I'm not exactly sure."

Hermione nodded, but didn't know what to say next. Her conversation with Ms. Harris pretty much confirmed that Jessica had leukemia, even though she didn't exactly say those words. How do you make small talk when your friend has cancer?

Jessica looked serious, and then spoke to save them both from the awkward silence.

"I want to be honest with you Hermione...I am terrified. The doctors have told me I have a good chance of recovering with several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and that even if that doesn't work I could get a bone marrow transplant. Mom is going to get tested, and I have some cousins that are going to as well." At this she really broke down crying. "But I am worried that none of this it is going to work, and that I am going to die. Please, please help me get through this."

Hermione climbed into the bed beside her, and gave her a hug as they cried together.

"I promise I will be here for you."

_A/N...I am still up to chapter 14, and will continue to post twice a week until I get to that chapter. It may not be updated as quickly after that because I am having some family issues. But rest assured, it is outlined and will be finished, just maybe once a week for a few weeks._

_Another short chapter, but necessary for plot development._

_Again I am appreciate all the reviews and those that have added story/author alerts._


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer...as usual, I own nothing..._

Chapter 9

Treatments and Lonely Classes

Hermione was so sad when Jessica told her she was dropping all her classes. She knew that it was the right thing for Jessica to do since she was so behind, but it still was very hard on the both of them. Jessica had missed two and a half weeks from being in the hospital, and was going to miss twice a week when chemotherapy started the next week.

Jessica had told Hermione that she was going to try to keep her job, and just cut back on her hours, as long as she felt good enough to do it. They both knew that chemotherapy could be rough and make her exhausted, but Hermione was glad that she was willing to try and not give up.

After the first week of chemo, Hermione met Jessica after work at the coffee shop to talk. Hermione had missed talking to her during and after class, and now they really only got to talk about half as often as before.

"So how are you feeling now that you've finished the first week of chemo?", Hermione asked cautiously.

"Hermione...I'm not giving up, but I will be honest with you. I gave my notice to the coffee shop today...I am quitting in a week. I found out after working this week that I am just too nauseaous and weak after chemo to do this. I want to work, but I can barely stand on my feet right now. I could fall in bed and go straight to sleep right now, and it is only seven o' clock."

"I'm so sorry, Jessica. I know you really wanted to work and still try to be independent, but you are right that you really need to take care of yourself. You wouldn't want to get sick from pushing yourself too hard. And you did say that chemo would only be for two months, and then you'd have tests to see if it worked. Maybe you can go back to work after you get the all-clear."

"If I get the all-clear, you mean." Jessica replied solemnly, with a few tears in the corner of her eyes.

"You will get the all-clear, I just know it", Hermione smiled as she replied.

"I really hope so" replied Jessica.

-ooOOoo-

It was now the end of May, and only two weeks until end of term exams. The weather had finally gotten warm enough to revise outside, so Hermione would go outside any chance she got. Revising was a nice break from thinking about Jessica being sick.

After much thought, Hermione had finally decided to let Harry, Ron, and Ginny know what was going on with Jessica. She hadn't spoken with them since visiting the Burrow over the Easter holidays, but that had been a little over a month ago. She now wanted their opinion on whether to resume her search for a way to contact Professor Snape.

Although they were expecting her, she was still nervous about the conversation.

"Um...Harry? Do you know if there is any way to contact Professor Snape where I could actually get him to reply to me? It is really important that I actually talk to him about Jessica."

"Other than owling him again, I'm not really sure Hermione. I know that he spent time at Malfoy Manor when he was recovering from Nagini's bite, but I am not sure how close he is to them. Not that I'd ever want to step even a toe in that manor again, mind you." Harry replied with what seemed to be a foul taste in his mouth.

"Why are you bringing this up again, if I may ask?", Ginny decided to add to the conversation.

Hermione thought for a moment, then took a deep breath before she replied, "Jessica is sick. Very sick. And I think Professor Snape should at least know she exists...just in case."

"Just in case...what...Hermione? She isn't-", and before Harry could continue, Hermione interupted.

"Oh...Harry, I just don't know. I hope she isn't dying, but she has leukemia. She...we...just found out a few weeks ago. Right after the Easter holidays."

Harry winced, but Ron and Ginny just sat there. Harry knew how serious this was, but Ron and Ginny had probably never heard of leukemia since wizards rarely, if ever, had cancer. Harry all of a sudden looked up, as he suddenly thought of something to add.

"What about Draco? I heard that he changed after the war, but maybe you could talk to him. See if he could get Professor Snape to meet you. I don't even know if they are close, but it would be worth a try, I guess." Harry replied, not knowing whether it was even a possibility.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione tried to enjoy the rest of her visit to the Burrow, but the thought of Jessica's illness was always in her thoughts. Mrs. Weasley had made many delicious meals, and the boys tried to distract Hermione by playing a quidditch game in the yard. She would be glad to get back to her flat and work on a way to contact Professor Snape.

Maybe contacting Draco would be the right thing to do.

_A/N...Thank you for the awesome reviews! I now have quite a few that have this on story alert, but would love more reviews as well!_

_I promise we are getting very close to seeing Draco and Severus. Just a few more chapters, so bear with me!_

_I am getting this Chapter up a day early because I will be busy this week. It is spring break, and very warm, and I promised my kids we would do a lot over the break. So I may not get Chapter 10 up for several days._


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer...same as always, everything belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling_

Chapter 10

Old Enemy or New Friend?

Despite her better judgement, Hermione borrowed Harry's owl and sent a letter to Draco. She had debated internally whether to contact him for over a week, and finally decided it was worth it, no matter what Draco or his parents would say to her. The letter was brief, and didn't give away too many details.

_Draco, _

_I know we weren't on friendly terms during school, but it is imperative that I meet with you to discuss Professor Snape. I have important information for him that he needs to know, and he will not respond to owls from either me or Harry._

_Sincerely, _

_Hermione Granger_

Hermione was quite surprised to get an owl the next day from Draco, and even more surprised by his response to her letter.

_Hermione,_

_I will meet you at the Three Broomsticks at 7pm on Wednesday evening, but I make no promises as to contacting Professor Snape until I know what this about. Please explain to me the urgency, and I will decide whether it is important enough to pass on._

_Sincerely, _

_Draco Malfoy_

_Well, at least he agreed to meet me_, thought Hermione. That is a start, I guess. Now I just need to figure out how much to tell him, and hope that he deems it important enough to pass on to Professor Snape.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione arrived at the Three Broomsticks almost ten minutes early, and had already downed a butterbeer to try and control her nervousness. She rehearsed in her head what she would tell Draco, and just hoped that he would be receptive to it.

Draco arrived exactly at seven, and Hermione noticed immediately how much he had changed since the end of the war. He looked tired and worn out, and much older than the two years that had passed since she last saw him. He almost had a defeated look to his face, and all traces of the arrogant boy she remembered seemed to be gone.

"Hello, Hermione. It has been a long time, and I am quite surprised to hear from you." He smirked a little as he greeted her, but it seemed empty and without anger.

"Hello, Draco. Thank you for meeting with me today, I really appreciate it since...well...we have never gotten along very well. I'm not really sure where to begin, but Harry had told me that your family has always been close to Professor Snape and I really need to reach him...urgently."

"Your inner Gryffindor is showing with your bluntness," Draco replied with a smile.

"Well, I have to be blunt, because it could possibly be a matter of life and death. I really would rather explain this to Professor Snape, but I can tell you a little if that is what it takes to convince you of my sincerity."

Draco thought for a moment before replying, "I am trying to start again after this war...and...as much as I want to just trust you to be honest, I can't let you talk to Professor Snape without knowing what it is about. I would be betraying his trust if this isn't something important. What can you tell me so I know that your intentions are trustworthy?"

"Draco, if I tell you this information, it will be in confidence. I'd rather the professor hear the information from me so he could know the whole truth, and not just the pieces of it that I confide in you. Do you promise just to contact him and explain the urgency without telling him any of this?"

"Yes," he replied hesitently.

Hermione sighed and shifted in her chair. This wasn't going to be easy, but she had to trust Draco if she was going to get in touch with Professor Snape.

"I have found out that Professor Snape has a sister, and before you interupt me, I am sure she is his sister. They have, or I should say had, the same father. She is very sick, and could possibly die. I feel like he has a right to know this, even if he choses not to meet her. She does want to meet him, but I know that meeting her would have to be his choice."'

Draco's eyebrows rose, before he calmed his expression back to neutral.

"My family has known Professor Snape...Severus...for many years. He always told everyone he was an only child. How do I know that you are telling me the truth?"

"Draco, I can show you the records if you don't believe me, but it is the truth. She is his half sister, and she is a muggle. She didn't even know Professor Snape's name before we did research. I met her over the summer and we attend a muggle university together. She has nothing to gain from meeting him...she doesn't want his money, if he even has any, and she knows nothing about the wizarding world. She just knows she has a brother, and she'd like to meet him. And now that she has cancer, I think it is important that they know about each other."

Draco tapped his fingers on the table for a minute, deep in thought, before he responded to her.

"Fine. I will contact him, and let him know that I have talked with you, and that it really is in his interest to meet with you. Whether he decides to meet you or not, though, is his decision. Personally, I think I would want to know if I had a sibling...but that is not my decision to make."

"Thank you, Draco. I appreciate this more than you know," Hemione replied, with a grateful smile on her face.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione apparated home with a smile on her face, knowing that she did the right thing. But the more she thought about it, the more nervous and apprehensive she became. But now I am most likely going to have to meet with Professor Snape, and somehow tell him he has a sister.

_A/N...Hopefully Draco doesn't seem to much OOC. In my little world, he repented when he didn't identify Harry at the Manor in DH. I think he deserves to start over and start giving people a chance._

_In the process of editing, the story length has increased to about 23 chapters. I am trying to 'flesh out' the relationships, and felt that it was rushed in my original outline. So we are getting close to the half way point._

_Next chapter/ teaser ...Severus finally communicates with Hermione._


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer...I own nothing, make nothing_

Chapter 11

Difficult Conversations

It had been one week since her meeting with Draco, and she still hadn't heard from Professor Snape. She had trusted Draco to contact him, and really felt like he had changed. So surely he gave him the message. So it must be Professor Snape. _Did I really annoy him so much as a student that he would refuse to talk to me no matter what?_ She was really starting to feel hopeless about the situation.

So it was almost another whole week later, about the time that Hermione was about to give up, that she received a letter from Professor Snape.

_Miss Granger,_

_I don't really understand the urgency of meeting with me, but Draco does insist it is important. I can meet with you Tuesday, 6pm, at the Three Broomsticks. Do not be late, as I have other engagements that evening._

_S. Snape_

Well...that letter was..blunt, and typical Professor Snape. Hermione figured she was lucky that he at least agreed to meet with her. Now she just needed to calm her nerves and figure out how to tell him that not only does he have a sister, but a very sick sister.

-ooOOoo-

Just like her meeting with Draco, Hermione arrived at the Three Broomsticks early. Again so she could get a drink to calm her nerves. This time she needed something stronger than butterbeer, so she ordered a glass of red wine.

She looked at her watch again...6:02. _Well, he must not think much of this if he can't even be on time_, she thought. She was getting more nervous by the second, but really didn't think a second glass of wine was the answer. Being tipsy or drunk wasn't going to help the situation, or the conversation.

At that moment, he whirled into the pub, robes billowing just like she had remembered from school. He looked just as she had remembered...long, greasy hair, sallow skin, and an unpleasant scowl on his face.

"Miss Granger, I do hope this is as important as Draco has lead me to believe."

"Um...yes, sir, it is." She almost stuttered trying to get the words out.

"Well, get on with it, then. I have a meeting with a potions distributor in one hour, and I am not going to be late," he scowled.

Hermione was so nervous, she didn't know where to start. She bit on her lower lip, praying for her Gryffindor bravery to kick in, but not having any such luck. So she thought she'd start with small talk.

"Professor, so what are you doing now that you aren't teaching"

"Not that it is any of your business, Miss Granger, but I have a small mail order potions business. But I don't believe that is why you wanted to meet with me tonight. What is it you want?" he spat out.

"Professor..sir. How much do you know about your father? Tobias Snape. Did you keep up with him after he...he and your mother...weren't together?"

Hermione watched as he drummed his fingers on the table. It was obvious that he did not like the direction the conversation was heading, and she was just waiting for the explosion.

"Miss Granger, my personal life is just that. My. Personal. Life. Unless there is a point you are trying to make, I do not wish to discuss my father. As a matter of fact, I don't want to discuss anything personal with you."

"Er...okay. I was trying to ease into this conversation, but I think I'll just have to be blunt. I met a girl at the muggle university I attend. She is one of my good friends now, and her name is Jessica Snape. And her dad was Tobias Snape."

Snape's eyebrows went to his hairline, but he quickly regained composure and looked at her seriously.

"Miss Granger, if this is your idea of a joke-"

"No, Professor, it is not. I have tried to owl you numerous times, but I have never received a reply. I don't even know if you got any of the letters I sent. Jessica and I have done research, and we both believe she is your sister. Her father was Tobias Snape, and we only found one Tobias Snape in the records. And she knows that she has an older brother, but nothing about him. I believe you are her brother."

Hermione watched him sit quietly. He no longer looked angry, but she couldn't detect any emotion on his face. It looked like he was deep in thought, and finally he spoke again.

"Why are you telling me this, Miss Granger? What are you trying to accomplish? Some type of happy reunion? What makes you think that I would even want to meet her?"

"Professor, it is up to you whether you would like to meet her. But I wanted to let you know now because you may not have that chance in a few months. Initially, I had given up on finding you after my owls went unanswered, but the situation has changed. Jessica has leukemia, and although she is receiving treatments, that is no guarantee of a cure. I wanted you to know so you would at least have the option."

At these words, his whole demeanor seemed to change. Hermione watched as the scowl left his face, to be replaced by a look that seemed to be resigned. Even the tone of his words seemed to soften somewhat.

"She has...leukemia? What are the doctors doing to treat her?"

"She is doing a round of chemotherapy, which will end in two weeks. Then she will get a scan and some bloodwork to see if it is working. If it is working, she will get another round of chemo or start radiation treatments. If it doesn't work, she will probably have to get a bone marrow transplant."

"Miss Granger, this is a lot to take in, and I need to leave for my meeting. Might I owl you later on to discuss this again?" he spoke softly.

Although the words were just as formal as usual, the tone had definitely become softer. Hermione thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd want to meet her.

-ooOOoo-

It had been one week since she had met with Professor Snape, and exams had just ended. Hermione was excited that she would have more time to visit with Jessica now that she didn't have to attend class or revise.

She had only seen Jessica three times in the past two weeks while classes were still in session, and they were only brief visits. Jessica was having a hard time with the chemotherapy, and she was in the bed for two of those visits. The third visit was after her meeting with Professor Snape, but she didn't want to tell her she found him, just in case he did not want to meet Jessica.

"Hermione, my last round of chemo is tomorrow. My energy level should start to increase in a few days. Would you like to go to London and maybe do some shopping. I am in desperate need for some new clothes."

"Of course!" Hermione replied.

It was obvious that Jessica needed new clothes, she had lost at least a stone since she had been sick, and she didn't really have any weight to lose to begin with. Her long willowy figure was starting to look gaunt after the chemotherapy.

The morning of the shopping trip, Hermione was in a very good mood. Jessica was feeling much better, and she knew that they would enjoy their outing. But the main reason for Hermione's good mood was the letter she had received from Professor Snape earlier that morning.

_Miss Granger,_

_Yes, I would like to meet her. I just need some more answers beforehand. Would you be able to meet again at the Three Broomsticks at 7:00 on Wednesday?_

_S. Snape_

_A/N...Hopefully everyone is happy now that they have finally gotten to meet. I think I have kept SS in character, I don't think he would be especially friendly meeting Hermione for the first time in two years._

_Also 1 stone= 6.35 kg, or 14 pounds_


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer...I own nothing, everything belongs to JK Rowling_

Chapter 12

Another Meeting

Thursday came quickly, and Hermione took her time getting ready to go to the Three Broomsticks. She had no desire to be early today...it would just make her want to drink, and she really needed a totally clear head tonight. It would be the first conversation she had with Professor Snape that was personal and had nothing to do with potions or defense...and it terrified her.

Professor Snape arrived only a minute after she did, and she immediately noticed a change in his demeanor since the last visit. The scowl was gone, and he actually seemed...nervous, maybe.

"Miss Granger, I do believe I left quite hastily the last time we met. We did not get into details, and I would like to have as much information as you can give me."

"Er...sure, Professor...sir."

She could already tell that this meeting was going to go better than the last time. His tone was more relaxed, and she could tell by his posture and facial expressions that he seemed more interested in listening to her.

"And please do not call me 'Professor'...I have not been anyone's professor in more than two years. I would like to leave that title in the past. You may call me ... Severus. Tell me more about my s... Jessica, please."

She noticed how nervous he was when he asked her to call him Severus. Being that informal was probably not something he was used to, and she guessed that he only conceeded due to the personal nature of the conversation that they would be having tonight.

"In that case, please call me Hermione," she responded with a nervous smile.

Hermione proceeded to tell him about how she had met Jessica, and about the research she had done on her...their...father. She concluded the conversation with Jessica's illness and her chemotherapy treatments. He had simply nodded at times during the conversation, and only spoke when she finished. He actually seemed nervous as he spoke to her.

"And what, Miss Granger, have you told her about me? I'm sure that she really would not want to meet me if you have given her my whole history."

"Well, not much, since she is a muggle. She knows that you are...er, were...a teacher that I have had, and I told her you taught chemistry. I told her that you were very strict...and...um...not one of my favorite teachers." She blushed and cringed slightly as she told him the last part.

"I see. And she would still like to meet me?"

"Yes. Now more than anything. I think more so now that she is sick. She-"

"When would it be convenient for you to introduce us, Miss...Hermione?"

Again, he seemed to be very nervous, which was unlike the Professor Snape she had for six years as her teacher. She thought that perhaps, she was finally seeing just a small glimpse of the real Professor Snape.

"Let me talk to her first, and then I will owl you with a date and time. Is that okay with you...Prof...Severus?"

"Yes."

-ooOOoo-

She hurried as she went to the front door of Jessica's flat, excited to tell her about the meeting with Professor Snape...Severus. She still wasn't used to calling him by his first name, and even more unused to such a civil conversation with the man. The meeting with him had been so surprising, and he seemed very interested in learning all about Jessica. She was both excited and nervous to talk to her. She tried to steady herself as she knocked on the door.

"Hermione! I'm so excited to see you! I've missed you this week, and wondered why you haven't come by or called the past few days."

"Well...I had a meeting this week, and wanted to see how it turned out before I came over to see you." She gnawed at her lip nervously as she continued, "I met with your brother yesterday, and he wants to meet you."

"You...you found him? How long have you been talking to him? Does he really want to meet me?" she asked nervously.

"Well, I actually got in touch with him a few weeks ago, but he only told me yesterday that he wants to meet you. I think he was in shock at first, and I didn't want to tell you anything unless it was positive. But yes, he really wants to meet you."

"I have a scan and some follow-up lab work tomorrow, but how about the next day? I don't think I am ready to meet him here...how about at the coffee shop?"

"That will work. I can let him know that you can meet him on Saturday. How does three o' clock sound?"

"It sounds perfect, Hermione. Thank you again," she replied, with visible tears in her eyes.

Hermione hoped, for Jessica's sake, that Severus was sincere. She knew how venomous his tone could be in the classroom, but she also saw how polite he could be from their last meeting. She was hoping that the Severus she met a few days ago was the one to meet them in the coffee shop.

_A/N...Hopefully you like the SS/HG dialogue. I have made changes from my outline since I had some time discrepancies. I'm trying to catch anything before posting, but leave me a pm or review if you catch something._

_I've worked on this chapter for a week, and I'm still not totally happy with it. It is short, but I don't want to add 'filler' just to make it longer. But the end was a natural stopping point. Most of the following chapters are longer, and move the plot more._


	13. Chapter 13

_The usual disclaimer applies. I own nothing._

Chapter 13

To Finally Meet You

She had owled Professor Snape to let him know the date and time, and he had quickly replied that he would be there. Jessica had insisted that Hermione be there as well, since she was too nervous to meet with him alone the first time. Hermione had met Jessica at her flat, and they were going to walk together to the shop. Jessica paused as they approached the shop, and then took a calming breath before she spoke.

"Hermione...I am so nervous. What if this doesn't go well? What if he doesn't like me? I've wanted to meet him my whole life, and I think I would be devastated if he didn't want to be a part of my life."

Hermione paused for a moment, deep in thought, before she spoke.

"I'll be as honest as I can with you, Jessica. Professor Snape...Severus...is not a very friendly man. He was a very strict, and occassionally even cruel, teacher. But he seemed totally different when I met with him a few days ago. He seemed geniunely excited to meet you. I don't think he would have agreed to meet you if he didn't want to get to know you. Try not to worry and be yourself. I can't really explain it, but I have a good feeling about today." She smiled at Jessica reassuringly as they continued on to the coffee shop.

They arrived at the shop just early enough to get coffee before Professor Snape...Severus...arrived.

Hermione's eyebrows rose, and her mouth gaped as she saw him enter the shop. He was wearing black jeans, with a dark green lawn shirt. His hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. She had never seen him in muggle clothes, or so seemingly relaxed. She knew she was staring, but she couldn't help herself.

"Hello. You must be Jessica, I am Severus," and then added, "Hello Miss Granger."

"Hello, Prof...Severus."

"It is nice to finally meet you, Severus. Thank you for agreeing to meet me," Jessica replied nervously, but still smiling.

Hermione listened quietly as they discussed Jessica's life, and very briefly, Tobias Snape. She couldn't believe how polite he was during the conversation, and even smiling slightly at some of the questions Jessica had asked. Hermione only joined the conversation when the discussion shifted to Severus's teaching history.

"Severus, so what was it like having Hermione as a student?"

"She was only one of the most annoying students I had ever taught; always raising her hand to answer a question. Always the first to know the answer. But she was also one of the brightest, as well."

Hermione had started to shift in her seat as he replied, expecting the derogatory answer. But she was pleasantly surprised at the ending compliment. In his six years of teaching her, he had never complemented her.

"Yes, that sure sounds like Hermione. She's still like that in our classes, minus the hand waving." She was giggling as she spoke.

Severus had looked at Hermione, and simply raised one eyebrow and smirked. But Hermione had noticed something different about him at that moment. In his eyes, she had seen amusement; he was enjoying this conversation.

Jessica and Severus had continued to talk and get to know each other, and the conversation stayed light until Severus brought up her illness.

"Jessica, I am sure this is a difficult topic, but tell me more about the...leukemia."

She proceeded to tell him about the illnesses prior to her hospitalization, her hospital stay, and then finally her chemotherapy treatments.

"And I just had blood work and a scan done yesterday to see if the chemo was working. I should know the results in about a week."

"So what happens now?" he asked in a very serious tone.

"If the cancer is responding, I will do another round of chemo. If it isn't, we will discuss radiation and possibly an eventual bone marrow transplant."

Hermione and Jessica both watched as he seemed to stare off into space, deep in thought.

"Has your mother been tested as a possible match for a transplant?" he asked.

"She is going to St. Andrew's next week to be tested, early enough just in case it becomes necessary. Why do you want-"

He interrupted, "I think I would like to be tested as well, in case she isn't a match."

Both girls sat there staring at each other, surprised at his offer.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione and Jessica had both remained at the coffee shop, even after Severus had left. They had much to discuss.

"So what do you think about Severus? Probably not what you were expecting, was he?" asked Hermione. _And not at all what I was expecting_, she thought to herself.

"No, not at all. But not in a bad way, though. He seems very intense and serious, but very kind as well."

_Kind_. Hermione would never have used that word to describe Professor Snape. But Severus...the man who met them today, was kind.

"He wasn't much like the man who taught me for six years. He does seem much nicer now. Would you want to see him again? Get together more often?"

"Yes, I think I would."

Hermione was still in shock that night as she got ready for bed. Her thoughts were filled with images of the polite man in the jeans who met them today. The kind man who offered to be tested as a bone marrow donor. The man who taught her for six years, but that she never really knew.

_A/N... Severus in jeans. Possibly a little OOC, but he was raised by a muggle father, so I would guess he is very famililar with muggle dress. And you wouldn't dress too formally in a muggle coffee shop._

_I think Hermione may finally be Severus in a new light. :)_

_Again, reviews and P.M.s are always appreciated!_


	14. Chapter 14

_The usual disclaimer applies._

Chapter 14

Getting to Know You

Hermione sat in the chair, deep in thought, as she tied her shoe. She was going to the park to have a picnic with Jessica. She was going to have a picnic with Jessica...and _Severus_. She chuckled to herself over the absurdity of it. _Who would have thought I'd be sitting on the ground having tea and biscuits with Professor Snape?_

Jessica had asked her yesterday to meet them at the park. She still wasn't ready to meet with him alone, she had told Hermione. He might be her brother, but she just didn't feel like she knew him well enough to meet with him alone.

Hermione arrived at Jessica's flat early to help her with the food and loading the picnic basket. They were going to try to arrive at the park early to set up, and maybe take a walk. They both wanted to take advantage of the fact that Jessica was feeling better than she had in several months. Once she started another round of chemo, or radiation, she wouldn't feel good enough to do this.

As they started walking, looking at the summer flowers just beginning to bloom, Jessica decided to speak first.

"Hermione, I get my results back tomorrow. I honestly don't know what to expect, but I feel good right now. I'm hoping that it is a sign that the chemo is working. I actually have more energy today, and I feel hopeful that I am turning a corner."

"That is wonderful, Jessica. I have a good feeling as well. So are you ready for our picnic? I was so shocked at how Prof- ...er...Severus was at our last meeting. I am curious as to how he'll be today. I guess I am still expecting the sour teacher I had for six years, not the soft spoken man that was here last week. This is so surreal to me."

"Hermione, have you ever thought that maybe the man you met last week was the _real_ Severus? Maybe he just couldn't be himself in a teaching situation with you, and now that you are an adult, he is more comfortable around you. If this is how he really is, I think I am going to like getting to know him. He really is a lot like what I always dreamed having an older brother would be like."

They had just returned to the blanket and basket when Severus arrived. Hermione had thought after last week, she couldn't be surprised any more by Severus Snape...but she was wrong. He was wearing khaki colored trousers, with a navy lawn shirt, and again had his hair tied back. He approached the blanket smiling at the two shocked girls.

"Hello Jessica, Hermione. How are you both today?"

Hermione knew she had to be gaping like a fish, but she just couldn't hide her surprise at him. Everything she ever knew...or thought she knew...about him had been turned upside down. This man was kind, he occasionally smiled...and he didn't always wear black. She was even more embarrassed to realise that she thought he even looked handsome. She shook her head and quickly got rid of that thought.

"I am fine, Severus."

"I am well, Prof...er Severus."

They both replied at approximately the same time.

They all sat down to eat, and quickly Hermione realised that she kept staring at Severus. She watched him eat, then continued to occasionally stare at him once they were done eating and the conversation had started. She didn't even realise that she wasn't paying attention to the conversation until she heard her name spoken repeatedly.

"Hermione...Hermione? Are you even listening?" Jessica inquired.

"I'm sorry...what did you ask me? I seem to be a little out of sorts right now."

"And that would be...due to my presence, Hermione?" Severus smirked, then smiled slightly. "I think that you expected your teacher here today, and not...me."

"You have just...really surprised me, that is all." Hermione knew that she must be blushing as she replied.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't very nice to you in class, Hermione. But", he stumbled as he said this, "chemistry is a subject that must be taught strictly. There is too much of a chance for dangerous and deadly mistakes if a student gets distracted. So I have to be strict to make sure the classroom stays safe."

The conversation continued to flow easily as the afternoon progressed. Hermione was surprised to hear Professor Snape laugh..._laugh_...at a story Jessica had shared about a dog she had growing up. He had a rich, full laugh that she hoped to hear again sometime.

Before they all realised it, it was starting to get dark, and Hermione and Jessica headed back to her flat. Hermione was only halfway listening to Jessica on the way, too distracted in the events in the afternoon.

"Hermione...this was a lot of fun. We will have to do this again before I start my next round of treatments. I didn't realise Severus could be so easy to talk to, and that we actually had more in common than I had thought."

"Yes, that would be nice." Hermione replied, but not really paying attention to the conversation.

-ooOOoo-

That night, Hermione had a difficult time going to sleep. She kept thinking about Severus. She thought about how nice he was dressed, and what a nice smile and laugh he had. She was embarrassed to realise that she might be mildly attracted to him. _This is ridiculous_, she thought. _I never liked him __at school, and he was never nice to me_. But she had always admired him, so maybe that was why she was having these thoughts. Maybe her thoughts were just confused after all she had been through with Jessica. _Yes, that is it, I'm just confused_...she convinced herself before she finally fell asleep.

_A/N...Hopefully Severus isn't too OOC. I am trying to realistically get him to know Hermione better, without it being forced. So forgive me if he is a little too nice. As much as I like snarky, I don't think he would deliberately be that way to his sister, especially if she was very sick._

_I am up to chapter 20 so far, and it looks like it will be at least 25 chapters. Sorry, but it just keeps getting longer with the edits and rewrites. I've never been good at being concise. Sorry :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_All the usual disclaimers apply..._

Chapter 15

What do we do now?

Hermione was worried. Very worried. Panicked, even.

She hadn't heard from Jessica in two days, and she wasn't answering her phone. Hermione knew that she was had received her lab results two days ago, but she still hadn't heard anything from her. She knew it could mean only one thing. The results weren't good.

Finally Jessica called her the next day, and invited her over to talk. Hermione knew this would be a difficult conversation, and was dreading it.

"Hermione, I didn't mean to avoid you. But I needed a few days by myself to process this. The past two days have been...really bad. But I think I am ready to talk now, though."

"I understand, Jessica. I was just worried since I hadn't heard from you. I think I have an idea of what you'd like to tell me, though."

Jessica took a deep breath, then proceeded. Hermione could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"The results were...not just not good, but really bad. Not only did the chemo not reduce the cancer cells in my blood, but the cell count is even higher now. The doctor gave me some choices to think about, and none of them are reassuring. I can try a different, stronger dosage of chemo, which probably wouldn't have a good chance of working. It could also make me really sick since it is a stronger dose of chemo. The other choice is to start radiation. It has a better chance of working, but I'll probably lose my hair. And the third isn't a choice at the moment, but he wanted to put me on the national registry for a bone marrow transplant."

Hermione seemed puzzled at the last part of what Jessica said. _Why would she need the national registry when all of her family...including Severus...had agreed to be tested?_

"Jessica, have you decided what you are going to do? And also, I don't want to bring up something that you may not want to talk about, but why do you need to be on the national registry? I thought that with all the relatives that were screened to be a donor, that someone would have been a match?"

Jessica sat on the bed, deep in thought, before she finally replied to Hermione.

"Um...that is another reason that I didn't talk to you the past couple of days. Not only was the lab work bad news, but the marrow testing results were bad news as well. My mother isn't a match, and neither are any of my cousins. Not even somewhat close, according to the doctor. And Severus...that is an interesting situation."

Hermione seemed shocked. "What do you mean 'an interesting situation'? So he isn't a match either? Or is he refusing to do it now?" She seemed angry as she spit out the last of the words. She really hoped that after the meetings between Jessica and Severus, that he really wasn't going to be a jerk now.

Jessica startled at the hateful words that Hermione just spoke.

"No Hermione! Nothing like that, he would still be willing to be a donor, but he can't. The funny thing is that he is a match...sort of. The doctor had a hard time explaining it, but in most of the testing criteria, he matched perfectly. But there was something odd about his blood, and they were scared to use it. Apparently they did some further lab results and found out that if he was a donor to me, the irregularities in his blood could kill me. I still don't really understand, actually."

_Magic_, Hermione thought. It has to be magic, it has to be that he is a wizard. Hermione knew that wizards did not get cancer...well almost never. The only cases she ever heard of were in muggleborns, and that was extremely rare. Something about being a witch or wizard must protect from cancer...something in the blood. _Our blood must somehow be different, not compatible with muggle blood _she thought to herself.

"Oh...I guess I understand. I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. He is still the mean teacher in my head sometimes, and I just assumed...wrongly," Hermione responded.

"That is okay, Hermione. I realised I didn't answer your original question, either. I decided to do the radiation treatments, which will start next week. And I'm going to go ahead and get on the donor list. It's just-"

Jessica started sobbing, and had a hard time continuing. Hermione couldn't help but tear up as well, knowing how difficult this was for her friend.

"It's just that I am starting to feel hopeless. The chemo didn't work, and I'll have to do radiation. And if that doesn't work, I don't have a marrow match. I don't want to die."

They held on to each other tightly as they sobbed for what seemed like hours, even though it was only a few minutes.

"Hermione...I don't start radiation for a week. I'd really like to tell this to Severus...alone. I finally feel okay being alone with him, and I want to tell him this. You won't be offended, will you?" still sobbing as she spoke.

"No Jessica, I won't. I'm glad you feel like you are able to talk to him. And he might be more open if it was just the two of you. Do you need me to contact him for you? Or do you have his address?"

"I have his address, but not a phone number. Will you contact him for me?"

"Yes, of course."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione went home and immediately started writing a letter to Severus, hoping he'd respond quickly if she sent it by owl.

_Severus,_

_Jessica needs to speak with you...immediately. Please contact her very soon, then I will need to speak with you as well...alone...sometime after you meet with her._

_Hermione_

She put down the quill and immediately rolled the letter before she could get tears on it. She was so thankful that sleep came easily that night, because her thoughts were just too morbid to continue staying awake.

_A/N...Severus will be back in the next chapter. I think Jessica is as important a character in my story as Severus, and there will be some chapters that are just J/H as opposed to HG/SS. I think they are needed to show the closeness of H/J._

_As always, reviews are appreciated!_


	16. Chapter 16

_The usual disclaimers apply..._

Chapter 16

Meeting Severus...Alone

She glanced one last look in the bathroom mirror, and noticed her puffy eyes. _I guess it will be obvious that I cried myself to sleep_, she thought to herself. _Nothing I can do about it now, though. _She grabbed her wand and headed out the door.

Hermione paced back and forth, waiting for him to arrive. She knew that Jessica was telling him the test results this morning, and that he would meet her as soon as they were through. She looked at her watch again, then grimmaced. She thought he'd already be at the park, but somehow she had arrived before him. _Maybe it didn't go very well,_ she thought.

He arrived about thirty minutes later, dressed in muggle attire, but not as shocking as before. He was wearing black trousers and a crisp white shirt. He was dressed more like the Professor Snape that she remembered. Hopefully that wasn't a bad sign.

As he approached her, she noticed that his eyes were slightly red. _Has he been crying_? No, he wasn't an emotional person, so obviously she must be mistaken.

"Hello Hermione," he said softly in a somewhat gravelly voice.

"Hello...Severus."

There was an awkward minute of silence, before Hermione tried to break the tension.

"I'm assuming that Jessica told you about the test results."

"Yes. She also told me that no one was a match for a bone marrow transplant. I was really hoping that I would be a match if her...other family...was not."

Hermione had an internal debate whether to bring up the bone marrow results. _Would Jessica have told him why he wasn't a match? Would he have figured out why, just like herself?_ She finally decided to just ask him.

"Did she say anything about your...um...bone marrow results?" Hermione asked timidly.

"No, she just said I would not be able to. Why would she... elaborate? Is there more to this that you need to tell me, Hermione?" His tone was more serious, more like the tone he had spoken in class. But she could also hear worry as well.

"Yes, there is. Jessica said that you actually were a match...well, closer than anyone else. But they wouldn't use you because there was something in your blood that was irregular, and they were worried it would cause complications."

He took a deep breath, then spoke softly "Magic."

Hermione noticed that his eyes looked glassy all of a sudden. He turned away from her quickly, but not before she noticed a small tear escape. He took a few moments before he turned around again to face her.

"Forgive me, Hermione. I normally am in much more control of my emotions, but today has been a trying day. I knew that the magic in wizards and witches manifested itself in all cells in the body, but I didn't realise that it would make enough of a difference in the blood to prevent me from being a donor. I had hoped-"

He stopped speaking as his voice became too wrought with emotion to continue.

"Severus, it is okay to show some emotion. Although you haven't known her long, she is your sister and you do care about her."

She knew it might be wrong, but she reached toward him and held his hand and squeezed it. She smiled at him, encouraging him to continue.

He let her hold his hand for a moment before he pulled away. "I...I...thank you, Hermione."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione looked in the mirror the next morning, and almost jumped. She really didn't recognize the person looking back at her. She had red, puffy eyes and sunken cheeks. She was pale with a wild mane of hair. She knew that she'd had a rough night, and the proof was in the mirror.

She had spent most of the night tossing and turning thinking about her meeting with Severus. She had never seen him show any emotion before, well except the small bit of laughter with Jessica at the park. He had been emotional, to the point of crying, and it had really gotten to Hermione. Now that they were friends..._friends?_...it hurt her to see him hurting.

She had just stepped out of the shower when she noticed an unfamiliar owl at the window. She quickly let it in and pulled off the parchment to read.

_Hermione,_

_I need to speak with you immediately. It is about Severus._

_Draco_

_**A/N...Poor Severus. I think he is really starting to care for Jessica...and Hermione.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer...again, it all belongs to JKR. I make no money._

Chapter 17

Draco's Concern

Hermione took one last look in the mirror before she headed out her front door. _The hair is a lost cause, I do believe_, she thought to herself as she glanced in the mirror. _It's not as if Draco cares how I look, anyway_. She glanced at the time, not wanting to arrive too early, as she apparated to Diagon Alley. Hermione had agreed to meet Draco at the Leaky Cauldron, and he was already there waiting for her when she arrived. He looked nervous as he skimmed his finger around the rim of the glass of Firewhiskey on the table.

"Thank you for meeting me, Hermione," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Not to be blunt, but what is wrong with Severus? I saw him two days ago, and he seemed okay. Well, as okay as he could be considering the situation."

"That is just it...I don't know what the situation is. Neither does Father or Mother. He won't tell any of us anything. But when he visited last night, he was drinking more than usual...a lot, in fact...and he rarely drinks in excess. What is going on? I think you probably know more right now than we do. He rarely visits anymore...last night was the first night in weeks."

It was this point in the conversation that Hermione realized that Severus wasn't sharing anything about Jessica with anyone...except her. He was close to the Malfoys, or at least used to be...so why wasn't he telling them anything?

"Draco... after Severus and I met for the first time a few months ago, what all did he tell you?"

"Not much. He told me basically the same thing you had told me. He has a sister, she is a muggle, and her name is Jessica. That she was sick but being treated at a muggle hospital. Why do you ask?"

"Draco, it is more complicated than that. He has met her several times, and they have gotten closer. But she is a lot sicker now than when he first met her...and the treatments are not working as well as we had hoped. There is a chance she may not make it, and it seemed to hit him hard when we talked two days ago. I just don't understand why he hasn't confided in your family, though. I know that he is really close to all of you."

Draco took a large sip of his Firewhiskey and just shook his head.

"Hmmm...I think I might understand a little better now. Severus has been alone for years...that is, until now. He would never admit it, and he would probably kill me for telling this to anyone, but I think he always wanted someone to care about him. His mother died shortly after his dad left them. And his sister-"

"Jessica."

"No, not Jessica."

"Wait! You told me he was an only child? What do you mean 'sister'?" Hermione practically yelled.

"Let me explain," Draco said softly. He took another drink before he started talking again. "I really shouldn't be telling you this, but I think you need to know this to be able to help Severus. He probably doesn't even remember telling Father this because he had too much to drink at the time, but I overheard the conversation. His mom had a stillborn baby girl when he was about six years old. He never came out and said this, but I think his dad caused his mom to have a fall near the end of her pregnancy. It was also around the same time that Severus did magic for the first time. I'm sure you already knew what a bastard Tobias Snape was. He hated magic and all things magical, including Severus. I think he always blamed himself for it, and the possibility of losing another sister is killing him."

"Oh that is awful! But that does make sense. He seemed to break down when I told him that he couldn't be a bone marrow donor...a muggle treatment for his sister...because he is a wizard. He is probably blaming himself all over again, thinking history is going to repeat itself." Hermione tried to hold back the tears as she spoke.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione spoke again.

"Draco, can you try to get him to open up to you? I have only seen him a few times, and I don't think he is comfortable enough with me to speak about this. I think he needs friends...you and your parents...to help him get through this. Please, Draco."

"Hermione, I still don't know why you are being so nice to me considering everything that happened between us...and at the Manor. But it sounds like you are starting to care about Severus, and I want to thank you for that. And I will try to get him to open up to me...and my family."

"Thank you Draco." Hermione gave him an awkward hug as they ended their meeting.

Hermione stayed at the table, finishing her own drink, after Draco left. She felt the tears forming as she thought about everything Severus had been through in his life. Losing one sister, and possibly losing another. As horrible as it was for her to deal with Jessica's illness, she didn't know how Severus could deal with it at all.

**_A/N...I hope the dialogue reads okay. I have done several rewrites, and still can't get it exactly the way I want it. I have officially given up and this is probably as good as it gets._**

**_I originally didn't have Draco make any more appearances in this story, but I just missed him too much. Especially since he has changed. So you will be seeing more of him...Severus and Hermione need him now._**

**_I'm up to Chapter 21 in the story, and have some chapters that were easy to write in outline form, but a lot harder to translate to conversation. Hopefully I can work past my block before it is time to post them._**


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N...I don't usually put any notes before the story, but after a couple of PMs and reviews about this, I will. I am not an English major, nor have I had extensive education in writing, spelling, or grammar. My degree is in Biology, so obviously that does nothing to help my writing skills. The first 4-5 chapters were not beta'd at all...so all the errors are mine. It is too difficult to pull them and repost them just to fix all the sentence structure errors. I am sorry if it offends so much that I get PMs about it. My sister has done some beta-ing for me on the other chapters, but it still isn't perfect. If perfection is what you are looking for, then by all means please don't read any further. This is just my very amateurish attempt at a SSHG fiction, and I am having fun in writing it._

_Everything except the plot belongs to JKR...I make nothing._

Chapter 18

Realisations

It was now the middle of June, and Hermione spent almost every day over at Jessica's house. Jessica felt poorly on radiation days, but on the other days they would try to do fun things when Jessica felt okay.

"Hermione, the nausea is almost gone today, and I really feel like going out. How would you feel about a trip to the bookstore? I know you are probably tired of it since you work there part time, but maybe you can get me a discount. It is only a block away, and I think I feel good enough to walk today. Want to go?"

"I'd love to! Are you ready?" Hermione replied happily. She was so happy that Jessica felt good enough to go out, it didn't really matter where they were going to go.

"Yes, just let me pull my hair back before we go".

Hermione was waiting at the door for Jessica when she heard a stifled sob.

"Jessica! What is-" she cut herself off as she looked at Jessica. She was holding her hairbrush, with a large tangle of hairs hanging from it.

"I knew it was a possibility, but, I..." she started sobbing and couldn't continue speaking.

Hermione started to tear up as well when she saw how upsetting it was for Jessica to be losing her hair.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione couldn't stop the heavy flow of tears as she walked to the apparation point from Jessica's flat. _How did everything go so badly, so quickly?_ She continued to cry as she thought of all that had transpired this afternoon.

She had tried her best to console Jessica when she noticed that she was losing her hair, but it just didn't help. The conversation had quickly gone from shopping to death in a matter of minutes.

"Hermione, I know it is just hair, but...but...," Jessica tried to calm herself down as she spoke.

"It's okay, we don't have to have this conversation right now. We could still go to the bookstore, or do something else if you would like to."

"No, it isn't that, Hermione. Or rather, it isn't just my hair." Jessica stared blankly at the hairbrush for a few seconds before she continued. "I have gotten some more news from my recent lab work, and losing my hair was just the trigger for everything today. Let's sit back down and talk."

"Oh, Jessica! You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to, but I'll listen if you do."

"I wasn't going to keep it from you, Hermione, but I was going to wait until I knew more. My numbers are worse...the radiation doesn't seem to be working and-"

"But isn't it too early to tell? You are only halfway through your treatments, maybe the results in a few weeks-"

"Let me finish, Hermione...please. Not only are the numbers high, but my lymph nodes are more swollen. The doctor wants to do more tests, but they think the cancer might be spreading. If it gets in the lymph nodes or the brain, the chance of curing it is...is not good." Jessica spoke calmly, but her eyes were glistening.

Hermione didn't know what to say, and just stood silently for a minute.

"I'm going to have another lymph node biopsy next week. Depending on the results...I...I will be put on the donor wait for a bone marrow transplant. If you get put on that list...It means...I am-".

Jessica couldn't contain her grief any longer, and the tears and sobs started pouring. Hermione embraced her in a tight hug, and they consoled each other.

After a few minutes, Jessica pulled away from Hermione, and stared at the wall as she began to speak.

"I...can't...won't break down like this again, but I need to tell Severus. I...it's not that I am a coward, but I just can't do this again. Will you talk to him for me...please?"

"Of course I will, Jessica."

_**A/N...Poor Jessica. Hermione is going to have a hard time talking to Severus about this.**_

_**Another very short chapter, but I refuse to add 'filler' just to up the word count. Most of the rest of the chapters are much longer.**_

_**I am now on Chapter 25, and the rewrites have gotten longer since I have added more Draco scenes to the story. My originally planned 20 chapter fic is probably going to be closer to 30 chapters...oh well...**_


	19. Chapter 19

_The usual disclaimers apply..._

Chapter 19

Spinners End

She scanned the letter one last time before she sent it to him. It was short and to the point, but she wasn't about to put something so important in a letter. The conversation had to be in person...she promised Jessica. She stared at it another ten minutes before she rolled it up. As hard as it was to write the letter, the conversation was going to be a lot worse.

_Severus,_

_I need to meet with you as soon as you are able. It is about Jessica, and it is urgent. _

_Hermione_

-ooOOoo-

Spinners End. Severus's house.

Hermione was still surprised that Severus was willing to let her come to his house, despite his proclaimations that it was more convenient. He had told her that he was in a critical stage of brewing and that he couldn't leave his lab to meet her, or they could talk in his lab while he was working. She had easily decided to meet him at his lab instead of waiting until he was finished. _It was urgent, after all_, she told herself.

She was nervous as she knocked on his front door, still wondering why she didn't just wait a few hours until she could have met him at a public location. Something about meeting him _alone._..at his house...just seemed too, too..._personal_...too..._intimate_. She could kick herself over being such a _Gryffindor_ sometimes.

"Hello, Hermione...come on in."

She couldn't help but gape again at what he was wearing. She should be used to seeing him in muggle clothing, but it still seemed to shock her each time. He was wearing a tight fitting pair of jeans, along with a button down shirt that had obviously been worn for many potions experiments. It had multiple stains, and he wore it untucked. _Quit staring, Hermione. I've got to learn to control myself around him or he's going to think I'm an idiot._

She made herself quickly refocus to the task at hand...informing Severus of Jessica's declining health.

"Please follow me to my lab, I have some potions that are at a critical stage, and I need to be able to add ingredients as we talk."

She nodded and followed him down the stairs to the lab, where they both sat on stools to begin the difficult conversation.

"Severus...I don't know where to begin. I was at Jessica's this morning and got some really upsetting news, and she wanted me to tell you so she wouldn't get upset again. She really wanted to tell you herself, but she just didn't have the energy to go thru all the emotions again."

"She is worse, isn't she?" He almost whispered the words, they came out so softly.

"Yes. The radiation isn't working. All it is doing is making her more tired, sick all the time, and making her hair fall out. She is going to have to have another lymph node biopsy because the doctors think the cancer has...spread." Hermione rushed the words out, hoping that saying it faster would make it easier to do.

She could tell that Severus was struggling with what to say or do next. He looked at her with glistening eyes, then kept glancing back at the cauldron. Finally he spoke.

"What happens next?"

"She finishes the round of radiation that she is on now, and she is put on a transplant list."

She stayed calm as long as she could before the dam finally broke, and she started sobbing. She didn't know what made her do it, but she grabbed Severus's shoulders and pulled herself to him as she started to sob against his chest.

"It's just not fair! She is my best friend, she can't be dying. She can't! The medicine should be working. She is so young, it should be making her better. We have magic that we can use to do so many different things, yet we can't wave our wands and make her better." She sobbed and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as she spoke.

She held on to him for several minutes before she realised the position they were in. She then looked up, expecting Severus to push her away in disgust. She was surprised as he returned the embrace.

"No, it isn't fair. But maybe there is something we can do."

_**A/N...I think they are finally getting comfortable with each other. Wonder when they will actually realise it themselves. Hmmm...**_


	20. Chapter 20

_The usual disclaimers apply..._

Chapter 20

Potions and Truths

Hermione was still surprised that he would try to make a potion for Jessica. _A potion? Why didn't I think about that? Hmmm...maybe it is because_ s_he is a muggle; making a potion would go against the statute of secrecy_, she thought to herself. She wished that they had discussed it more, but Severus had to leave for an emergency with his potions business. They would discuss it tomorrow, he spoke as he floo'd out.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione waited all day to hear from Severus, but she never got an owl. She was about to go to bed when she finally heard the owl pecking on her windowsill. The letter was short, but it had explained why he had not contacted her until the evening.

_Hermione,_

_I do hope that I am not waking you, but I had to meet with Kingsley today before I met with you. We were ascertaining the laws relating to potions for muggles and the statute of secrecy. I will meet you tomorrow at the park at noon and explain it to you._

_Severus_

-ooOOoo-

Hermione arrived at the park early, pacing so much that she almost wore the grass into the dirt. She was really worried that Severus had received bad news from the ministry, and didn't know how she would deal with it. He finally arrived, interrupting her depressing train of thought.

"Hello, Hermione" he spoke quickly, slightly out of breath.

"Hello, Severus. So...what did you and Kingsley talk about?"

"We discussed making, or attempting to make, a potion for Jessica. The statute of secrecy forbids telling muggles about magic, and that includes making or using potions on them." He paused for a moment, watching Hermione's reaction.

Hermione scowled and was just about to interupt him when he continued speaking.

"But Kingsley told me that the rules are different when it relates to family members. Apparently potions are allowed for muggles if they are close family members of a wizard or witch. The statute of secrecy was changed to allow this at the end of the war since many muggleborns had family injured during the war."

"Oh, that is wonderful, Severus!" She hugged him fiercely as the emotion took hold of her.

Either he didn't mind the hug, or was too preoccupied to stop her. He continued telling her about his visit with Kingsley.

"But, to use a potion on a muggle, you still have to get consent. Assuming I could even create a successful potion, it couldn't be given to Jessica unless she was told about it. She would have to be told that I am a wizard. As close as you are to her, I would suggest you tell her you are a witch as well. How do you think she would take that information, since we have kept it from her for so long?"

Hermione paused, not exactly sure what to say, then she replied cautiously.

"I don't want to lose Jessica as a friend. I don't think she would hate me...us...for keeping it from her, but she might be mad for a while. But it would be worth it, even losing her friendship permanently, for her to get well. I care about her like she is _my_ own sister, Severus."

"I am glad you feel that way, Hermione. I still feel that you know her better than I do, but I want to change that. I want her to get well so I can get to know her better. I have been doing some research, both muggle and magical, on leukemia, and think I have a few ideas for a potion to heal her. I know this is...unususal...of me to ask, but would you like to help me with the potions experiments? I could use the help since time is of the essence," he smiled slightly as he spoke, the nervousness showing as well.

Hermione couldn't help but smile back at him. _He must really think my potions skills are somewhat decent if he'll let me assist him. He has been so nice to me lately, it will be nice working with him. He looks attractive when he smiles like that at me._ Wait...where did that thought come from?

"Of course, Severus. When would you like to tell Jessica about us...about magic? Would you like me to be there, or would it be better to tell her separately?"

"Together. We should do it together."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione closed her eyes, then steadied herself before she knocked on Jessica's door. She glanced over, and noticed that Severus appeared just as nervous. _This is going to be difficult, but at least Severus is here with me_, she thought.

"Hello Hermione, Severus. Jessica is still in her room, but she said to go on in," Ms. Harris said with a smile.

They slowly walked towards her room, and Hermione was surprised that Severus gave her hand a small squeeze before they walked through the door.

"Hello, Jessica. How are you feeling today?" asked Severus.

"Better than yesterday, the last radiation treatment was rough, but I do feel better. Now what is it that is so important that you and Hermione look so nervous?"

Hermione glanced over at Severus, and he nodded for her to continue.

"Jessica, we have something important to tell you, but I think it might be easier to show you. You need to sit down first, though."

"What is it, Hermione? You are starting to-"

Hermione took a couple of deep breaths and looked around the room. She found what she was looking for, then began the spell. "_Wingardium leviosa!"_ With a quick wand movement, Jessica's book levitated up off the table to several feet in the air.

Jessica's eyes opened wide. She stared at the book hovering in the air, and then back at Hermione. "How did you do that, Hermione?"

"I...I am a witch, Jessica. I can show you more once you calm down," Hermione spoke softly, hoping she wasn't scaring Jessica too bad.

"O...Okay. Severus did you know about this?", Jessica spoke so softly, they both barely heard her.

"Yes." He looked at Hermione, and she nodded her head at him for him to continue. "And there is more. _Accio Jessica's book._" Severus used a wand-less spell to bring Jessica's book to his hand.

Jessica just sat on the bed stunned. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spoke, not really sure what to say.

"Th...that means..you...you are a-"

"A wizard. The school that I taught at was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I didn't teach chemistry, I taught potions. Hermione was one of my students."

"Tell me everything. Now. I want to know the truth...all of it."

_**A/N...Well now, that is quite a lot for Jessica to take in. I wonder if she'll forgive Severus and Hermione from keeping it from her.**_

_**It looks like it is going to wrap up around chapter 30. I'm hoping to have it done by mid-May because I'm taking my kids to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. I don't know who is more excited...my eleven year old son or me.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_I don't own it...you can look at my pitiful bank account..._

Chapter 21

Girl Talk

Hermione sat on the sofa, glancing at the phone every couple of hours. It had been two days since she and Severus had told Jessica about magic. Although she seemed angry at first, she calmed down when Severus explained why they couldn't tell her about it when they first met. Jessica had asked lots of questions, and Hermione and Severus took turns answering all her questions. Even though it had gone really well, Jessica was overwhelmed and had asked them to give her a couple of days to think about everything and try to process it all. She thought that she would have heard from Jessica by now, though.

Hermione had wanted to give her plenty of time to get used to all the information before they told her the most important part...they were going to try to make a potion to cure her.

The phone rang suddenly, startling Hermione out of her thoughts of the previous couple of days. _Please, please...let it be Jessica._

"Hello?"she answered quietly.

"Hermione, it's Jessica. Can you come over? I think I am ready to talk about everything now."

-ooOOoo-

Jessica was looking out the window when Hermione came in her room. It was obvious that she wasn't having a good day. Hermione noticed that she had a handkerchief tied around her head to hide the hair loss, and she was very pale. It was obvious that she had lost more of her hair, and there was very little left.

"I...I can come back tomorrow if you don't feel well today."

"I don't feel well, but I don't have many days where I feel really good anymore. But I wanted to talk to you today."

"Okay. I'm so sorry we didn't tell you before, Jessica. I've wanted to tell you since I met you, and I wasn't allowed. At the time I met you, I really wanted to leave the magical world behind, and I wasn't missing it. Not until I got in touch with Severus again."

Jessica looked at the book on the table...the book that Hermione and Severus had moved using magic. She seemed deep in thought for a moment before talking again.

"Why did you wait until now to tell me? That is the only thing that really hasn't made sense to me. You could have kept me in the dark about your magic, but you decided to tell me now. Why?"

"I really shouldn't tell you without Severus being here, Jessica. He-"

"Please tell me. I'm sure he'd understand."

"Severus is one of the best potions masters in all of wizarding Europe. He hopes to be able to make a potion to try to heal you, since none of the muggle...er...non-magical methods seem to be working very well. That is, if it is okay with you. You have to consent before he can give you any potions."

"Why would a potion work when everything that has been done so far hasn't? It isn't that I wouldn't want him to try, but I am not very optimistic right now. It would be awful for him to make me a potion...then I might still-"

"Jessica, don't go there. We aren't out of options yet. But magic can heal so much better than muggle medicine sometimes. Maybe he could make a potion that would work better than the radiation or a transplant. Wouldn't it be nice to be better, without the awful side effects? Will you let us try?"

"Us? You would be helping Severus?"

"Yes. I've already agreed. Potions was one of my best subjects at school, Jessica," Hermione said with a smile.

"You still aren't being honest with me, Hermione. I thought you were going to tell me the whole truth now."

"Of course I have! I've told you everything...I'm not keeping any secrets from you anymore." Hermione was baffled. She had told Jessica everything, but Jessica still thought she was being dishonest. _Maybe she isn't as okay with everything as she is letting on,_ she thought.

"Yes, yes you are. What is going on with you and Severus? I've seen the way you both look at each other. Your eyes sparkle and come to life."

"What?"

-ooOOoo-

Try as she might, Hermione couldn't sleep that night. Her conversation with Jessica kept replaying in her head.

"_...What is going on with you and Severus? I've seen the way you both look at each other..."_

She wasn't aware that anything was going on with Severus. Sure, they had become closer the past couple of months. They both had something in common...Jessica. Hermione now started to consider Severus a friend as well.

_But maybe he could be more than a friend to me_, she thought. Where the hell did that thought come from?

_**A/N...Short chapter, but it is more of a transition chapter. I do believe Hermione is still in denial...**_


	22. Chapter 22

_Getting this up a day early. I'm going to try to have it totally finished by mid-May. Chapter 30 will be the last chapter._

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 22

Working Together

Hermione had decided to wear a pair of jeans and a lightweight shirt to work in the lab. It was now the middle of summer, and she honestly didn't know what to wear to work with Severus. It was warm outside, almost hot, but she had no idea what it would be like in his lab. Today was going to be the first day of working on the potion for Jessica, and she was both excited and scared. She nervously knocked on the door to his house on Spinner's End.

"Hello Severus."

-ooOOoo-

The lab was already set up when she arrived. Various types of cauldrons were on the tables, along with jars of ingredients. Another table had notes scattered across it. She was still taking a mental inventory of the lab when Severus spoke up.

"I have already started working on some ideas, but it might be useful to have another opinion on the research thus far."

"You...you think that highly of my opinion? I didn't think you thought too highly of my skills in potions class." She asked the question almost playfully, though she was really surprised that he was interested in her opinion.

"I never thought poorly of you, Hermione. You were one of the best students I had ever taught in potions, but I couldn't show it at the time. Many of the Slytherins in the class had family that were Death Eaters, and I couldn't show favor to a muggleborn Gryffindor."

"So...it was all an act?" Hermione asked, startled.

"No, it wasn't all an act. I thought Neville was dreadful at potions, and I didn't have to pretend to dislike Harry." He smirked at her as he spoke, and the tone of his voice showed amusement.

She just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Now if you are done gaping at me like a fish, we can get started."

-ooOOoo-

They had been reviewing his notes for almost an hour, revising them and adding Hermione's suggestions. She paused for a minute, as a new thought invaded her mind.

"Severus, how are we going to test these potions? I don't think it would be good just to give them to Jessica, considering how weak she is right now."

"No, it wouldn't be. I was hoping to ask her to consent to us drawing some blood for some of these potions trials. We could add the potions to small vials of blood, then look at the results under a microscope. Then we would only test a successful potion on Jessica."

"That sounds like a good plan." Hermione smiled as she answered.

"Well, let's get started. Today we are going to brew the potion in the first set of notes. The one with the Phoenix tears as the base healing ingredient. We will try the variations with Unicorn blood, and the ones with a combination of the two ingredients later on. The Phoenix tears potion has to brew in several stages, so we should start immediately on it."

Hermione started chopping the dandelion roots, then paused deep in thought.

"When are we going to talk to Jessica about testing the potions? Won't we need her blood to test this potion?"

"The sooner, the better. Are you available tomorrow? I think we should go together."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione and Severus arrived at Jessica's flat to speak with her, but it was Jessica's mom who answered the door.

"Come on in Hermione and Severus. She was expecting you, but she is asleep right now. She tried to stay awake, but she was very tired. We both think that she might be getting a cold. And coupled with the radiation..."

"I understand, Ms. Harris. Hermione and I can come back at another time, if that is preferable," Severus spoke softly.

"No, she would be upset if she missed you. I wanted to talk to you both, anyway. Let's sit down."

They made their way towards the sofa in the sitting room, and all had a seat before Ms. Harris continued.

"Jessica puts on a brave face, but she is not doing very well. She has only one radiation treatment left, and her last lab results weren't good. The leukemia isn't responding to the radiation, and she now has some spots on her lymph nodes. She is on the bone marrow transplant list, but the list is so long that-"

Jessica's mom paused, and tears were running down her face as she continued to speak.

"The doctors have given her a year if she doesn't get a transplant. Maybe a few months past that if she does another round of radiation to slow down the spread of the cancer. But the doctors are trying to convince her to not take any more medicines so she can feel good as possible from this point on."

Hermione looked at Severus, noticing that his face matched hers. They both had blank expressions and red rimmed eyes. Neither knowing what to say to either each other or Ms. Harris.

The conversation was interrupted by a voice calling into the hallway.

"Hermione? Severus? Are you here? I thought I heard voices," Jessica spoke tiredly.

"We...we just arrived. We'll be there in just a minute," Hermione replied. She quickly wiped her eyes, hoping that Jessica wouldn't notice the redness or tears.

They walked quickly into Jessica's room, and the visit was brief. Hermione noticed that Jessica still seemed really tired, so they quickly asked her about donating blood for Severus's potions tests. Once she agreed, they quickly made their excuses to get back to the potions experiments and left.

Once they had left Jessica's flat, Hermione couldn't contain her emotions any more. She flung her arms around Severus and started crying. He embraced her equally as ferociously, tightening the embrace.

"Severus, I...", she sobbed uncontrollably.

"I understand," was his simple reply.

They stood outside for several minutes, comforting each other, before they walked to the alley to apparate.

_**A/N...Denial: Not just a river in Egypt...**_

_**I've looked on the HP Lexicon and the HP Wiki for potion ingredients, and never found any listed for healing potions. But...dandelion root is an herbal supplement that has healing properties and a high vitamin content.**_


	23. Chapter 23

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 23

Disappointments and Heartbreak

Hermione stared at the notes, somehow hoping that working on the potion would be a distraction from all her thoughts. She tried to concentrate on preparing ingredients, but her thoughts kept returning to Jessica. _Jessica is dying. She is dying and we still don't have a way to cure her. I am going to lose my best friend and Severus is going to lose his sister._

Severus was stirring the cauldron when he heard Hermione yelp.

"Dammit," she said as she grasped her finger. She had been so deep in thought about Jessica that she was careless in her chopping, and had cut her finger deeply.

Severus approached her and looked at her finger. He quickly pulled out his wand and performed a quick healing charm.

"It should be alright. Just give it a few minutes to finish healing, then you can go back to working"

"Thank you, Severus," she paused for a moment before continuing. "But it is not alright! I should be able to focus enough to get this potion finished. Jessica needs us more than ever right now, and I just can't seem to stay on task. How much longer until we can test this first potion?"

"Tomorrow. We should be able to test it tomorrow."

-ooOOoo-

Today was the day that they were going to test the first potion, and Hermione had been so anxious that she hadn't slept at all. _Bloody Hell! Of all nights to not get any sleep, and I need to be able to concentrate today._ _Bugger_, she thought. She was tired and in a bad mood, which was not a good combination considering how important today would be.

She made her way quietly to the lab, hoping to not disturb him at a critical point. Severus had reset his wards when they had first started working on the potions to where she could apparate straight into his house. It had worked out well since he couldn't always be able to get to the door when a potion was brewing.

She arrived at the lab as he was bottling the potion, about ready to test it.

"What are you going to do first? Do you need my help?" she asked quietly.

"You can bring me a microscope slide. I already have Jessica's blood sample and I was just getting ready to add the potion to it. Once we put the mixed sample on the slide and under the microscope, we should tell pretty soon whether it worked or not. It needs to wipe out all the cancer cells, not just some of them or the potion isn't a success. Partial removal isn't good enough if we want to cure her."

Hermione handed him the slide and watched him put the sample on it. They waited for about ten minutes...long enough for the potion to work. Severus put it under the microscope then moved the dials to observe the sample.

Hermione studied his facial expressions, but was unable to read him. _Blast! Why does he have to be so closed off, even now. _

"Well...did it work?" Hermione asked nervously.

He paused for a second before he responded, "No, it did not."

-ooOOoo-

It had been two days since Hermione and Severus had finished the first potion attempt. She was hoping to hear from him to start the next potion, but he still hadn't called her. She hadn't heard from Jessica, either, and she had a hard time focusing on her work or anything of importance. She decided to send Harry a letter since it had been weeks since she had talked to him last. She had just summoned parchment and a quill when the phone started ringing. Hoping it was Jessica, she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Hermione. This is Sarah Harris...Jessica's mum. Jessica is back in the hospital again, and she wants to talk to you. Can you get here quickly?"

"Yes...I can be there within the hour."

Hermione knew that it was serious. Jessica had been sick the last time she visited her at her flat, and Ms. Harris's voice sounded really...off. Hermione couldn't tell if it was worry or lack of sleep, but something in her voice really worried Hermione.

She was about to head out the door when she thought about Severus. _Had Ms. Harris contacted Severus? Did she need to contact him before she left? _ She decided to wait until she saw Jessica before she would contact him.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione stood silently outside of Jessica's hospital room, trying desperately to get her emotions under control before she entered. She didn't want to do anything that would make it worse on Jessica's health.

"It's me, Hermione. May I come in?" she talked quietly as she gently rapped on the door.

"Of course, come in Hermione," Ms. Harris replied softly.

She noticed as she came in that Jessica was asleep in the hospital bed. But she froze as she took in her appearance. Most all of her hair was gone, and she had lost even more weight. Her skin was very pale and her bones seemed to show through on her hands and face. She was wearing an oxygen mask that seemed to cover most of her face as well. Despite this, she smiled at Hermione as she entered the room.

She mumbled something at Hermione, and Hermione gave her a questioning look.

Jessica pulled off the mask, and tried to speak again. "I am supposed to wear this blasted thing, but nobody can hear me when I speak. I don't think they will fuss too much if I take it off to talk for a minute. Thanks for coming to see me, Hermione."

"Of course I'd be here," Hermione replied with a somewhat forced smile.

"Did you...did you talk to Severus? Mum tried to look up his number, but there wasn't one listed. He...doesn't have a phone, does he?"

"No, I don't think he does." Hermione realised that the topic was quickly turning into a conversation that may involve magic, and she was unsure what, if anything, Jessica had told her mother.

"Ms. Harris...Sarah, can Jessica and I speak privately for just a few minutes? I promise it won't be very long."

"Of course...I know that young women don't want to discuss certain things in front of their mothers. I will go get some tea in the cafeteria, and I'll be right back."

"So...Hermione, how do you get in touch with Severus? I'm guessing that it isn't regular post, since you always seem to get in touch with him quickly," she said with a smile.

"It is a type of post, I guess. We communicate by owl. We write a letter on parchment, then attach it to an owl, then send it to it's destination. Don't ask me how, but the owls always seem to know where they are going. I'm not sure if they are magical or what, I've never questioned it."

"Oh...okay. In that case, can you send Severus an owl so he can come over and visit me? Let him know to come by tomorrow. I think the doctors are going to keep me a while. Apparently it is pretty serious to get pneumonia when you have leukemia, and I can't leave until the pneumonia is totally gone. So I might have to be her a whole week."

"A whole week? Your mother never told me what was wrong when she called me. Pneumonia? That can be pretty serious, right?"

"Yes, but I don't want to think about that right now."

_**A/N...Poor Jessica! **_

_**I hope my medical terminology is correct. I have a friend with cancer (although his is colon), and do know that chemo and radiation can really wipe out the immune system, so colds can very easily turn into pneumonia. Again, anyone with medical knowledge can let me know if I get this wrong.**_


	24. Chapter 24

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 24

Please...Not Goodbye

Hermione had sent Severus an owl the moment she arrived home after visiting Jessica, and he was going to visit her the next evening.

She had a hard time focusing the next day, but she knew that she needed to give Jessica some alone time with Severus. Once she had gotten home from work, she pulled out her potions notes. She looked at some of the notes from the newest potion they were testing, hoping that this formulation...the one with a unicorn blood base...would be more successful than the phoenix tears base. She looked at the arithmantic calculations they had done, realising with a grin, that the numbers did look better than the phoenix tears potion.

-ooOOoo-

The next morning she arrived at the hospital, and as she started to knock on the door, she realised that there were several voices she heard already in the room. She listened for a minute, then her eyes got large as she recognised one of the voices. _Draco._

"Jessica, Ms. Harris...may I come in?"

"Please join us, Hermione! I'm just getting to meet Severus's friend, Draco," Ms. Harris replied with a grin.

"Hello Severus, Jessica. Hello, Draco. I must say that I wasn't expecting to see you here today."

Despite being very weak, Jessica smiled at Hermione and started to speak.

"Severus told me a bit about Draco when we were visiting last night. He said that they had plans today, and I asked him to bring him so I could meet him. Hermione...you've never mentioned him before, but Severus said that you were in the same year at school."

Severus gave her a quirk of the eyebrow, and a smirk. _Dammit...he knew that we didn't get along in school. Now he is leaving it to me to explain._

"Er...yeah...about that. We didn't exactly get along at school."

Draco looked up at Hermione, realising how awkward the situation was for her, and started grinning.

"I think that is an understatement. We had a very mutual dislike for each other. In fact, she slapped me in our third year."

Hermione's face turned red, but she spoke anyway.

"But that was then, we have started to get along much better the past few months. Dare I say that we might even be friends now?" She gave Draco a slight smirk.

"Yes, I would say we are friends now." Draco smiled back at Hermione.

Hermione watched Severus as he looked at her, then at Draco. His smirk turned into a genuine smile. _I think he is honestly surprised that we are friends now. I think it makes him really happy,_ she thought to herself.

Hermione continued to talk to everyone until it was obvious that Jessica was very tired. They had visited over an hour, and she looked like she needed a nap. She walked out the door, but agreed to visit tomorrow with Severus at the same time.

-ooOOoo-

They arrived at her room the next day to notice that it was empty. Hermione did not think Jessica was well enough yet to be released, so she figured she had been taken for some tests. After waiting for almost an hour, she and Severus walked over to the nurse's station to inquire about her whereabouts.

"Excuse me, but where has Miss Snape been moved to. She is not in her room this morning," Hermione asked.

The nurse walked over to the computer and typed in her name, then returned to Hermione and Severus.

"She has been moved to critical care. She was moved a few hours ago. It is the fourth floor, room 4. But you will need to check in to see if she is allowed visitors."

Hermione gave Severus a very solemn look as they headed towards the elevators.

-ooOOoo-

They arrived at the critical care unit, and proceeded to the waiting area. The receptionist had told them that visiting hours were restricted in this unit, and they could not visit her until her mother came out and could give consent.

Hermione's mind was racing as she struggled to process all the information from the past hour. Jessica was worse, she had been moved to a critical care room. She knew from experience that not all patients in critical care ever recovered enough to go home. Before she could continue that train of thought, Ms. Harris had walked into the waiting area. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"Hermione, Severus..." she barely managed to speak. "The pneumonia isn't responding to the antibiotics, and her lungs have quit working from all the inflammation and infection. They moved her here to put her on a ventilator to help her breathe, and have started a stronger round of antibiotics. They have also sedated her so she won't fight against the ventilator. If the antibiotics work, they will gradually pull her off the ventilator tomorrow. We should know by morning whether..." she stopped speaking when she got too emotional to speak clearly.

Hermione was already too emotional to respond. She looked at Ms. Harris, then Severus and then started crying. She noticed that Severus had tears coming down his face as well.

"Can we see her now?" Severus asked.

"Yes, but just for a few minutes. She won't be able to respond to you due to the sedation. I have to warn you...she doesn't look like herself."

Hermione grabbed Severus's hand and held it tightly as they walked into Jessica's room. The room was quiet except for the whooshing sound of the ventilator every few seconds. Hermione looked at Jessica closely. She had lost all of her hair, and was almost skeletally thin. Her arms were at her side and she was perfectly still except for the forced breathing of the ventilator. Hermione took a deep breathe and then turned to Severus.

"Severus...I...I can't do this. This isn't Jessica. I can't see her like this. I want to leave. Is...is that okay?"

"Yes." He hugged her tightly as they walked out of the room together.

Ms. Harris looked at Severus, then again at Hermione. "I will call you on your cell phone, Hermione, if anything changes."

Hermione nodded. Although it wasn't spoken, Hermione knew that what Ms. Harris really meant is that she would call if Jessica died. Nobody had said those exact words tonight, but that is what they were all thinking.

"Severus...can we go to your house for a little while? I don't think I can be alone right now."

He hugged her tightly as they prepared to apparate.

_**A/N...Evil cliffie, I'm sorry. **_


	25. Chapter 25

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 25

Comfort and Caresses

They apparated straight into Severus's living room; Hermione clinging tightly to him the whole time. She couldn't think of anything but Jessica, lying very sick and near death in the hospital bed. She kept her hold on Severus, grasping him tighter with each sob.

"Severus, I don't want to go home tonight. Can I please stay? I just can't be alone, especially if Jessica's mom calls us and tells us she has-"

He interupted her by pulling her closer and hugging her even tighter. She could feel his tears dripping onto her as she clung to him. She looked up at him and into his eyes, and like hers, they were red rimmed from the flowing tears. They just stood there for a moment, lost in thought and each other's eyes.

She knew at that moment that she needed him...to comfort her and help her with the pain. She leaned into him to kiss him, not knowing whether he would return the kiss or pull away from her. His lips were soft and warm, and just slightly salty from the tears. Although the kiss started out one sided, he soon responded and began to kiss her back.

Soon the kissing became more frantic, and they began to caress each other through the layers of clothing. Hermione slid her hands under his shirt and began to stroke and caress his chest. She moaned slightly as he gently massaged her breast through her thin shirt.

They only made it as far as the fireplace before they rapidly started removing clothing, trying to keep their bodies touching as much as possible. She leaned into him to deepen the kisses, pressing her body into his, gasping softly as she felt the evidence of his arousal against her knickers.

Severus pulled away from her embrace, and cupped her chin gently before he spoke to her.

"Hermione, I need you as well. All of you," he spoke softly as he gently stroked her face.

Hermione gently nodded her head as he picked her up and gently carried her up the stairs to his bedroom.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione awoke the next morning, and sat up quickly when she realised she wasn't in her own bed. She glanced over and saw that Severus was still asleep beside her. She thought back to making love to him last night. He had been tender...gentle. Not at all what she would have imagined the stern Potions Master to be like. But then again, she had gotten to know Severus...and Severus was a totally different person than the professor of her youth.

She studied his features while he was sleeping. His face had filled out since his teaching days, and was no longer gaunt. Although he wasn't classically handsome with his sharp chin and rather large nose, he was handsome in a regal sort of way.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as he started to stir. _But...but what if he regrets last night? What if he thinks it was a huge mistake. Making love was never my intention...I just needed comfort after visiting Jessica._

He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her, but she couldn't read either his expression or his emotions.

"Good Morning, Severus," she spoke timidly, giving him a small smile.

"Um...good morning, Hermione. Did Jessica's mom call-"

"No, not yet. I'm hoping that is a good sign." She sighed, then debated whether to ask the question that had been in her thoughts since she had awoken. "Severus, just so you know...I have no regrets about last night."

She waited for him to reply, to say anything, but he just stared at her. _Great, I just told him I have no regrets, but he obviously feels differently._ She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes, then tried to speak to him without looking.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I'll just get my clothes on and be going. I'll owl you if I hear-"

"No...wait, Hermione. I don't regret last night. Not exactly, I just think we need to talk about it."

"Severus-"

She was going to tell him it was okay that he had regretted last night; she could tell he had regrets by the way he phrased 'Not exactly'. She was going to try to find a graceful way to leave his house, but she was interrupted by her cell phone ringing.

"Ms. Harris? Sarah?" she spoke softly. She listened to her give her update on Jessica's situation, and then replied, "We'll be there as soon as we can. Goodbye."

She looked at Severus, then spoke softly. "She didn't give me details, but said we needed to get back to the hospital."

_**A/N...Sorry, I don't do lemons; limes or lemonade is all you get. I'm not good at writing it, and would rather leave it up to the imagination than write it badly.**_

_**Another cliffie, I'm sorry. Well, maybe not ;)**_


	26. Chapter 26

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 26

A Glimmer of Hope

Although they had apparated together to the hospital, Hermione made no effort to talk to Severus before they reached Jessica's hospital room. Her emotions were out of control. She was extremely distressed about Jessica, and she didn't even want to think about the situation with Severus. Inhaling a deep breath, she knocked cautiously on the door.

"Ms. Harris? Jessica? Severus and I are both here."

"Come in," she softly replied.

Hermione pushed the door open and let out a small gasp when she looked at the hospital bed.

"Hello, Hermione, Severus. You know you can't get rid of me that easily." Jessica still was extremely pale, but she was smiling as she spoke in her whispered voice. "It seems that the antibiotics are finally working, and hopefully I'll be free of this place in a week." She had removed the oxygen mask to speak, but put it back on as she watched Hermione and Severus gape at her.

Hermione gave her a huge hug as she spoke, "Oh, Jessica! Please don't scare me like that ever again. I ...I...don't know what to say. You are my best friend, and I thought..." She choked back the tears as she stumbled with the words.

"Yes...I know what you thought," Jessica spoke in almost a whisper. "What all of you probably thought." She looked from her mother, to Severus, and then back to Hermione.

-ooOOoo-

Hemione had stopped chopping and was staring at the bubbling cauldron in front of her. She had a small smile on her face as she thought back to her visit with Jessica. She had beaten the odds and was finally recovering from the pneumonia, and Hermione just had this feeling that one of these potions would work. Fate seemed to be in her favor, at least with Jessica's health. She briefly thought about Severus, and quickly moved past those thoughts. _I need to focus on the positive with Jessica, not think about Severus's rejection of me,_ she solemnly thought.

She tried to refocus back to her chopping when Severus came back to the lab to talk to her. She had managed to avoid talking to him the first few hours they worked in the lab, but now the potion was at a stage where they needed to add more ingredients. She would have to face him now. She was hoping to keep the focus on the potion, and avoid any conversations of a personal nature.

"Hermione, we need to add the coneflower in the next ten minutes. Are you almost finished chopping it?"

"Yes." She tried to reply with as little emotion as possible. She was still hurt after Severus's reaction to her yesterday morning, and she didn't want any confrontations today. She knew he regretted having sex with her, and that it did not need to be discussed any more.

She made the mistake of glancing up at him after she answered him, and noticed the curious expression on his face.

"Hermione, I think we need to-"

"No, we don't. I don't have any regrets, but I know you do. It was a mistake, you have already told me as much. I don't think it is the time or place to discuss it right now. We need to focus on the potion for Jessica." She spoke steadily, but some anger was still present in her voice.

She carried the chopped coneflower toward the cauldron, avoiding looking at him as she placed it on the table.

"Hermione. I care about you. I don't-"

"Severus. Stop. Just stop. I know you care about me, I know we are friends...or at least we were friends. But your reaction after we had sex was explanation enough-"

She couldn't finish before he put down the knife and swiftly walked toward her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly kissed her.

"Dammit, Hermione. Will you listen to me, now? I don't regret it. I care about you, I thoroughly enjoyed our night together. The only thing I regret is that it happened when we were both upset about Jessica. I want to be with you, just not under those circumstances."

"What? What do you mean?" She still was slightly flushed from the kiss, and didn't know exactly what to think at the moment.

"I have had feelings of more than friendship for several weeks. I...I wanted to do this properly. I was going to ask you to dinner, and take things slowly. I probably would have waited until we were done with Jessica's potion so I could focus on us. Then Jessica ended up in the hospital, and things moved quickly. I don't regret that night, I just wished it happened under different circumstances. I didn't want either of us to feel like it was rushed and have regrets later on."

She looked up at him and smiled. "You really want to be involved with me? Really?"

He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Yes...yes I do."

_**A/N...Finally, some successful communication!**_

_**A short chapter...I know. I tried to lengthen it, but it seemed cluttered.**_

_**Coneflower is also known as **__**echinacea, which is a common herb used to boost the immune system and fight infection. I thought it would make sense to use it in a healing potion :)**_


	27. Chapter 27

_The usual disclaimer...blah, blah...you know the drill..._

Chapter 27

Good News

Hermione walked slowly towards Jessica's hospital room, deep in thought. It had been a week since Jessica had almost died...and a week since she and Severus had made love. So much had happened in that week, it was almost too much to process. She and Severus were now officially involved, although they hadn't talked about it, or even acted upon their feelings, since the discussion almost six days ago. They were too busy finishing the second trial potion for Jessica, and had agreed to keep that as the main focus. She tried to regroup her thoughts back to why she was heading into Jessica's room.

_Jessica gets to go home today._

Hermione was just about to knock on Jessica's door when she noticed Severus getting off of the elevator and heading towards her. She waited for him before they entered Jessica's room. She gave him a nervous smile as she approached the door.

"We're both here," she spoke as she knocked on the door and entered the room.

"Great," Ms. Harris replied. "I think that is everyone, so you can tell us the discharge instructions now, Dr. Williams."

Dr. Williams flipped through the chart and scanned the information before he began speaking.

"First of all, I'm not telling you this to scare you, but all of you need to be aware of some things before Jessica is discharged from the hospital. Jessica was very fortunate that her immune system responded to the antibiotics. Her immune system is very weak, mainly because the chemotherapy and radiation weakened it severely. Also, since the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes, she has less healthy cells available to fight illness. It is important that Jessica avoids public places and outings as much as possible, except for necessary trips to have bloodwork done. All visitors need to be well and have no signs of illness, and strict handwashing is imperative. Do any of you have any questions?"

Severus, Hermione, and Ms. Harris all looked at the doctor and nodded their heads 'no'. Before the doctor could continue, though, Jessica had a question.

"I think I understand what you are saying, but I have a question just to make sure I am totally understanding this. I am technically over my pneumonia, but my immune system is too weak to recover if I should get something else. So...if I were to get sick, even if it was just a cold, it could kill me?"

The doctor looked uncomfortable as he answered, but he answered anyway. "Yes, that is correct. I don't think your immune system is currently strong enough to fight anything, even a cold. It will take weeks before your immune system is recovered enough to fight any illness."

"I...I see," Jessica spoke softly, the tears visable in her eyes.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione and Severus had both apparated back to his house after helping Ms. Harris get Jessica settled back in her room. No one spoke of the doctor's discharge instructions, although it had weighed heavily on everyone's thoughts.

They both had gone down to the lab to prepare the unicorn base potion for testing. It had been finished for a couple of days, but Severus had put a stasis charm on it until they had a chance to test it. The testing had been put off while Jessica was in the hospital. They had not wanted to get a blood sample for the testing until she had recovered enough from the hospital stay.

Hermione was staring at the potion, deep in thought, when Severus started talking to her.

"I think we are ready to test it. Hermione? Are you listening?"

"Oh...okay. I'm sorry, I was just thinking about Jessica. The pneumonia scared me really bad, and after listening to the doctor, I'm just really worried about her. What if this potion doesn't work, and she gets sick again before we can try something else?"

"All we can do is test this potion, and then try again if it doesn't work. We shouldn't be thinking worst-case scenario. It isn't good for you, and it doesn't help Jessica." He paused and looked at her, offering a small reassuring smile before continuing. "If you are ready, we can test this potion. I need a microscope slide and a sample of Jessica's blood."

Hermione retrieved the items and watched Severus scoop a small sample of the potion into a vial. He put a small sample of blood onto the microscope slide, along with a small amount of the potion. He sat down on a stool, and then wrote down the time.

"How long do we need to wait until we put it under the microscope?" Hermione asked nervously.

"It should be almost instantaneous if it worked. However, I am waiting a few minutes just to make sure. Like the last potion, a success would be if all the cancer cells are removed or destroyed."

Hermione watched him look over his notes, when a new thought had occurred to her.

"Severus...I was thinking. If we are successful, wouldn't it be hard to explain her cure to a muggle doctor? Would we be able to take her to St. Mungo's? Or had you thought of that?"

"Actually, I have already worked out the details. If this potion, or another attempt at the potion is successful, I am going to have Poppy observe when it is administered. She would be available since there are no students at Hogwarts during the summer, and it would be more discreet than St. Mungo's." He glanced at the timer, then continued, "It is time."

She nervously watched him put the slide under the microscope, and watched as he adjusted the dials.

"Well? Did it work?"

"It...I think," he stuttered nervously, "I think it worked." He tentatively smiled at her.

_**A/N...It worked in the lab, but will it work on her. Hmmm...**_

_**The story is almost at the end. As it is currently written (with no final editing), it is 30 chapters, including an epilogue. I am having a bit of trouble with chapter 29, so there might be a delay getting the last two chapters up. But I am leaving for vacation on the 23rd, and it should be finished by then :)**_


	28. Chapter 28

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 28

A Potions and a Revelation

Hermione took several deep breaths, then knocked on Jessica's door. She glanced at Severus, and he smiled at her as he gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her. This wouldn't be an easy visit, and she needed all the assurances that she could get. Not only did they need to tell Jessica that they had an experimental potion to give her, but they needed to talk to Ms. Harris about magic. There would not be any way to give Jessica the potion without explaining it to her mother. _Let alone explain Poppy, and her wand waving diagnostic spells,_ Hermione thought to herself.

"Come in," a voice from the kitchen had replied.

Hermione and Severus had noticed Ms. Harris was still preparing dinner as they had arrived, and Jessica was reading a book on the sofa. Jessica was still very thin and pale, but some color had returned to her cheeks. She smiled at Hermione and Severus as they approached her.

"We have some good news," Hermione smiled as she sat next to Jessica.

"The...the potion?" Jessica tried to smile, but it was obvious that she was nervous and scared.

"The trial in the lab was a success, and if you are ready, we can test it." Severus spoke cautiously, gauging her reaction as he spoke.

"What...what do I need to do?" she asked nervously.

"First, we need to talk to your mother," Severus stated calmly.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione sat on Severus's couch with a potions book, but was blankly staring into space as opposed to reading it. She was too excited and nervous about testing the potion on Jessica tomorrow, and just couldn't focus on the book.

"A sickle for your thoughts?" Severus whispered gently into her ear as he sat beside her. He grabbed a loose curl and twisted it around his fingers as he awaited her reply.

"I...I was just thinking about yesterday. I thought everything went really well with Jessica's mum. She seemed quite rational about everything, not at all what I was expecting."

Severus tapped his finger against his lips, then responded, "I think she is so hopeful about us curing Jessica, that she is still in denial about magic. But that is a good thing, since she so readily agreed with us testing tomorrow."

"Speaking of testing tomorrow...have you talked to Poppy yet?"

"Yes. I'm going to meet her at Hogwarts in the morning and then bring her by side-along apparition."

"Good, good," Hermione turned her head, not wanting Severus to see that she had started crying.

Severus pulled her into his chest, and hugged her gently. "It is going to be alright, Hermione. I know you are scared it isn't going to work. I am too. I...I-"

Hermione looked up to see the tears flowing down his cheeks. "Severus," she spoke softly, but then he continued on.

"Gods, Hermione. This is just so hard for me. I've not had a family in almost twenty-five years, and now I have a sister, and she means so much to me. You both mean so much to me."

He started to give her a chaste kiss on the lips, but Hermione pulled him closer to deepen it.

"Severus...can I spend the night tonight? I just don't think I can be by myself."

"Hermione-"

"We...we don't have to do anything. I just want to be next to you and hold onto you. Please."

"I...I would like that."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione stood beside Jessica as Poppy did another sweep of her wand over Jessica's body. She watched her take notes as each spell revealed something new about Jessica's health. Even after ten years in the magical world, Hermione was still impressed with magical medicine.

"What...what are you doing now?" Ms. Harris asked cautiously.

"I'm just making sure all of her vital signs are steady before Severus administers the potion. Everything looks good so far." Poppy turned to Ms. Harris and gave her a small smile.

Severus looked at Hermione, then back to Jessica before he spoke. "Jessica, it is time. I need you to drink all of this, slowly. Poppy will be monitoring you to make sure you are okay."

"Wait!" Jessica spoke loudly, just as Severus was about to give her the potion. "I need to speak to Hermione...alone, first."

Severus and Ms. Harris glanced at each other with nervous expressions, then headed out the door with Poppy. "Have Hermione come get us when you are finished," he spoke as he shut the door behind him.

Hermione walked over to Jessica's bed, and sat on the edge of it. "What is it, Jessica?"

"I'm not dumb, Hermione. I have eyes, and I am perceptive. What is going on with you and Severus?"

Hermione let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, then twisted her fingers as she spoke. "We are...um...together now." A deep blush was visible on her cheeks as she spoke.

"I thought so." Jessica gave her a big smile. "I think that is wonderful. I have seen how you both looked at each other, and wondered when you would both realise it."

"You aren't upset that I am with your brother?" Hermione seemed genuinely surprised.

"No, not at all. I think you are good for each other. I think you are very suited for each other." She paused for a minute, trying to formulate the words in her head before she continued. "I want you both happy, and in case this doesn't work, I want you to be there for each other if I-"

"You aren't going to die. This is going to work." Hermione tried to sound fierce, but it only came out as a whimper. _It was hard to be convincing when you aren't sure yourself,_ she thought.

"Well...just in case, I...I wanted to let you know that I am very happy about you two being together."

"Thank you, Jessica." Hermione leaned in and gave Jessica a hug.

"Tell Severus I am ready."

-ooOOoo-

Hermione and Ms. Harris sat across from Jessica's bed as Severus gave her the potion. Jessica drank it quickly, then looked at Severus and Poppy. She glanced at the time on her alarm clock every few minutes, before sitting up in bed and giving Severus a confused look.

"I...I don't feel any different. Just sleepy." She leaned back into the pillow and slowly closed her eyes.

"Poppy, is she okay?" Hermione bit on her lower lip as she looked up at the mediwitch.

Poppy ran her wand over Jessica, softly speaking incantations as she walked. She paused for a second over Jessica's chest, then continued with the wand movements.

"Her heart rate has slowed down a bit, but other than that, her vital signs are stable."

"Then it is time to see if it has worked," Severus responded calmly. "Hermione, I need you to get a blood sample from Jessica whilst I get the microscope and slides ready."

_I can do this, I can do this,_ Hermione chanted in her head. _Deep breaths, calm down...Jessica needs you. _She slowly walked towards Jessica to draw the blood into the syringe. She watched Jessica's even breaths as she put the needle into the vein on her arm, slowly drawing out the blood. Jessica didn't move, not even a flinch, as Hermione collected the sample. She walked the sample over to Severus, then sat down to watch him work.

Severus put the blood sample on a slide, then observed it under the microscope. He looked at the sample for several minutes, studying it, before removing it from the microscope.

"Severus, did it-"

"Wait," he replied, as he prepared another slide and put it under the microscope. He observed this second sample for several minutes before looking up.

"It worked."

Hermione had never seen him smile so big before. His whole face lit up as he started to explain the slides.

"The cancer cells...the irregular cells in the blood...they are gone. All of them are gone. I looked at both samples. I will check again tomorrow to be certain, but I do believe it worked!"

Hermione ran to Severus and gave him a big hug, before turning to Ms. Harris and doing the same. Nobody had noticed the frown on Poppy's face as she performed another diagnostic on Jessica.

"Wait, Severus," Poppy spoke in a soft, but serious tone.

"Is there something wrong, Poppy?"

"I don't know how your potion is supposed to work, Severus, but there is a complication. Her breathing has slowed down considerably, and her heart rate is still down. I also saw that her brain activity has decreased since the previous scan."

"What does that mean?" Ms. Harris spoke loudly, the worry evident in her voice.

Hermione looked at Severus, the tears forming in her eyes. "It means she is in a coma."

_**A/N...Uh-oh!**_

_**Only a couple of chapters left, but I will have them up before I go on vacation on the 23rd. I had hoped to wrap it up within two chapters, but I feel that it isn't coming together the way I wanted. So it might be a few more chapters :)**_


	29. Chapter 29

_The usual disclaimer applies..._

Chapter 29

Good Morning

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, holding Jessica's hand. She looked up as Poppy changed the IV bag that was providing her nutrition. Even magical medicine hadn't come up with a better way to feed unconscious or comatose patients.

As Poppy left the room, Hermione squeezed Jessica's hand even tighter, trying to will her into waking up.

"Please wake up Jessica, please," she pleaded. "The cancer is gone now, and Severus and I need you."

She was still gazing at Jessica when she felt the bed slightly sink, and a hand reached up to wipe the tears off of her face.

"Poppy said that her vitals were stronger today. She is getting better, Hermione. It will just take more time." Severus kissed her gently on the forehead, then pulled her closer.

"But...but...what if she doesn't. What if-" she couldn't continue as she started crying softly against his shoulder.

"She will. The potion worked, but we still have to wait for her body to recover after all the trauma it has been through these past months. She has to heal before she can wake up." He kissed her gently as he left her to talk to Poppy.

-ooOOoo-

Hermione woke up slowly, and then winced when she realised she still had the headache that she had gone to bed with. Severus had offered her a headache potion the night before, but with all her focus on Jessica, she had left it untouched on the side table beside his bed. It was still unusual waking up in his bed, but she just couldn't bear to be alone until she knew that Jessica would be okay.

She reached over to take the potion, when she realised that Severus's side of the bed was already cold. She was wondering where he was when he strode into the room with a smile on his face.

"Poppy floo called and Jessica is showing more brain activity today. She believes there is a very good chance she will wake up today. I was going to head over there in a little while...I'm assuming you would like to come with me?"

"Yes," she winced again as she spoke.

"Did the headache potion not work?" He asked her cautiously.

"Um...well, I forgot to take it. I was just getting ready to take it when you walked in."

"Well...come down for breakfast when you are ready. We will go to Jessica's afterwords."

-ooOOoo-

They arrived at Jessica's house and Hermione lightly knocked on the door. After several minutes, she was surprised that no one had answered it. She was just getting ready to pull out her cell phone when Ms. Harris answered the door.

"Severus, Hermione...come in!" Ms. Harris had a beaming smile as she pulled the door open.

"Is it a good time?" Hermione asked her nervously. "It took a minute for you to get to the door, so I hope we aren't interrupting anything."

"Actually the timing is perfect. She has been moving her hands this morning, and Poppy believes she is starting to regain consciousness."

Hermione looked at Severus, who was normally very reserved in front of others, to notice he had a smile on his face as well. He gently grasped her hand as they walked towards Jessica's bedroom. There were chairs on either side of her bed, and Hermione sat on one side while Severus sat on the other side.

"Jessica, Severus and I are here now. Please wake up. We have so much to tell you, so please, please wake up."

Hermione looked down at Jessica, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Even though she hadn't regained consciousness, her color had improved tremendously from the time that she had taken the potion a week ago. She was still very thin, but her face was no longer pale and gaunt.

Hermione continued to talk to her, rubbing on her hand occasionally as she spoke of all that had happened in the past few days. She looked over to Severus, watching him tentatively place a hand on top of Jessica's other hand.

After visiting with her for almost an hour, she and Severus had decided to leave for lunch and then return later. They hoped that maybe by the evening, she would have regained consciousness. Severus was just opening Jessica's bedroom door when they heard a slight moan. Hermione immediately started walking back towards Jessica's bed.

"Hermione?" Jessica spoke in a soft, gravelly whisper.

"I'm here Jessica. Severus is here as well, but he went out to get your mum and Poppy." Hermione realised her voice was gravelly as well, as she fought to keep the tears from flowing.

"Did it...did it...the potion...did it work?" She asked quietly, but it was obvious that she was terrified to know the answer.

"Yes. There is not a single trace of the cancer anywhere in your body."

"Then why...why do I feel so strange?"

As Hermione was about to answer her, Poppy bristled over to her side and started to run some diagnostics with her wand.

"Miss Snape, you have been in a coma for a little over a week. Your body needed to shut down as it recovered from the after effects of the potion. You haven't used any of your muscles for quite a while, so it may take a few days before you get your energy back." Poppy patted her gently on the arm as she answered.

Poppy finished her diagnostics before she turned to talk to Severus and Hermione.

"I know that you want to visit with her, but she needs to rest." She noticed that Severus was about to open his mouth to respond, but then she proceeded, "And before you say anything about her being in a coma for a week, Severus, it isn't the same. She needs actual sleep. You can come back this evening or again tomorrow."

Hermione walked out of Jessica's room and waited for Severus to join her. Apparently he still wasn't totally happy with Poppy's response, as he still was engaged in conversation as Hermione left the room.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes...but Poppy-"

Before he could continue, Hermione pulled him into a deep embrace, then slowly pulled his mouth towards hers. After a minute, he pulled slowly away from her and gave her a questioning look.

"I'm just so happy, Severus. I couldn't help myself. Jessica is going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."

"Then let's go home." Severus replied, a sincere grin on his face.

_Home. Home_, she thought. Not his house, not my flat. His home...our home.

_**A/N...This is it, the last chapter before the epilogue. I have had lots of trouble with this chapter, and hope it is acceptable. I had added more, but it felt too bogged down. I have had the epilogue written for a while, and am happy with it, but I struggled with this one.**_

_**Thank you to everyone who has given me positive reviews and constructive criticism. I feel I have learned quite a bit while writing this, which will hopefully show in the next fic I am working on. My new goal is to work on longer chapters.**_

_**Epilogue should be up by the end of the week!**_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N ... Getting this up two days early because my son's birthday is in two days, and I have a lot to do to get ready for it. My house is going to be invaded by lots of 5 year olds. It was either get it up now, or make you wait another five days or so :)_

_I own nothing, everything belongs to JK Rowling. I make nothing. How I wish it were mine, though._

Chapter 30

Epilogue...One year later

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the couple embrace and then engage in a tender kiss. They had been together for a few months now, but she still wasn't used to them showing any affection in public. _I don't think I am going to get used to this anytime soon, _she thought with a smile on her face. She walked up to them and not so subtly cleared her throat.

"I think you might want to get a room if you are going to keep snogging like that in public."

They were startled for just a moment before they broke apart from the kiss. He turned around slowly, a smirk on his face as he looked at her.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, my dear? I seem to think that you had no problems with displays of affection today."

"Well, yes," she said, blushing. "But I think I am entitled. After all, it is _my_ wedding day. I am supposed to kiss the groom." She put a big emphasis on the word, 'my'. Hermione couldn't help but give a big smile to Draco and Jessica as she spoke to them.

She stood and watched for a moment as Draco and Jessica moved slowly towards the ballroom floor. He caressed her shoulder as he escorted her to dance. She watched them dance gracefully to the waltz that was now being played. Jessica looked so happy, and Draco was beaming. She had now gained back all the weight she had lost from the cancer, and her hair had finally grown out to the back of her neck. She looked radiant in her midnight blue bridesmaid dress.

She thought back to all that had happened in the past year. Jessica had slowly recovered from the leukemia after spending a week in a coma, and slowly started getting back to a normal life. She started back at university with just a couple of classes, and found another part time job. Hermione would invite Jessica to dinner or shopping, and Severus would bring Draco with him to meet them both. Neither one had expected them to actually start dating and slowly fall in love.

_In love. In love like she was with Severus._ She smiled as she thought back to the past year with him. They had been together for six months when he finally proposed, and she had accepted immediately. Her parents had not reacted favorably, but she didn't let it bother her since their relationship was no longer very close. Even Harry and Ginny had been more accepting than her parents.

She had wanted to wait until she finished university to get married, but Severus wanted to get married immediately. She relented when he agreed to live near the university until she graduated. She had spent the last six months taking a couple of classes, and planning for her wedding. Or rather, she took a couple of classes while Jessica took over the wedding planning. She didn't care what kind of wedding it was, as long as at the end she would become Mrs. Hermione Snape.

Hermione was still deep in thought when she felt a hand slowly glide down her back.

"May I have the next dance, Mrs. Snape?" Severus had a big grin on his face as he slowly grasped her hand.

"Mrs. Snape. That has such a nice ring to it. Say it again," she replied sensually.

"Mrs. Snape... my wife." He kissed her gently on the nape of the neck, then slowly led her to the dance floor.

She had a big smile on her face throughout the song, and felt like a silly little school girl. She sighed deeply as he pulled her closer during the song. At that moment, she felt like the luckiest woman in the whole world. She had married the man she was in love with, and was going to spend the rest of her life with him. And her best friend, the sister she never had, was now her sister in law. She couldn't imagine her life to be any more perfect than it was at this moment. She didn't realise that the song was now over, and that Severus was staring at her with an intense look on his face.

"Hermione, are you okay?" The concern was obvious in his voice.

"Yes, I am more than okay. Today has been wonderful."

"Then why, pray tell, are you crying."

"They are happy tears, Severus. This has been the best day of my whole life. I was just reminiscing about everything that happened the past year."

He smiled at her, then cupped her chin gently before leaning down to give her a kiss.

"I love you, Hermione."

"And I love you, Severus Snape."

_fin -_

_**A/N...Well, it is finally finished. I hope all of you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.**_

_**I am hoping to start posting my new story when I get back from Universal Studios. I have two chapters currently written, and would like to start posting once I have three or more. Hopefully around the first of June.**_

_**Thank you for all the reviews. To have more than 200 for my first fan fiction is just awesome. **_

_**Again, thank you...thank you.**_


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